Call for Proposal - Company to implement behaviourally-informed social media campaign to de-stigmatize domestic work in Lebanon

1. Background and rationale

Domestic workers in Lebanon provide critically-needed domestic and caregiving functions and fill a care gap created by a deficit in government-provided social protection. However, they experience stigma and discrimination which is embedded in societal, economic, and institutional systems, and is heavily influenced by gender, racial and ethnic biases.

For many decades, the vast majority of domestic workers have been low-wage migrant workers from countries such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Thus, a core element of the stigmatization and devaluation of such workers was based on class and ethnic discrimination. This is perpetuated by the kafala sponsorship system which places rigid restrictions on contract termination and mobility, entrenching poor working conditions and forced labour. Combined with a gendered perception of domestic work and its association with femininity (which also leads to its undervaluation), the intersection of gender, class and race biases has created a multilayered form of discrimination against domestic workers. However, the lack of recognition of the value of work provided by domestic workers precedes even the 1970s, when migrant workers first started to come to Lebanon. This is reflected in the fact that domestic work is excluded from the labour law, contributing to a perception that it is not ‘real work’ and limiting the motivation of national workers to work in the sector.

Prior to 2019, the monthly salary of a full-time, live-in migrant care worker in Lebanon was relatively low, making this option accessible to a broad segment of Lebanese families, especially before the devaluation of the Lira. However, the overlapping economic and humanitarian crises severely impacted on the country’s weak social protection system placing a tremendous impact on Lebanese families and the migrant workers they employed. During 2020 and 2021, a significant number of migrant domestic workers are thought to have returned to their countries of origin (though comprehensive data are not available). This led to an increasing reliance on family members to provide care services, and the entry of a small number of Lebanese and Syrian workers who were pushed into the sector by the impact of the economic crisis on their households and communities. These new workers entering the sector have continued to experience the same poor working conditions and stigmatization experienced by migrant workers. 

Addressing these issues and ensuring that domestic work can become a more attractive sector for future employment, also for nationals, requires a multifaceted approach, including legislative change, stronger engagement of employers and workers in advocating for domestic workers rights, and a cultural shift in how we perceive and value domestic work. The ILO has been partnering with constituents, civil society organizations and academia to work on these various components through a number of strategies, which intensified since the adoption of Convention 189 in 2011. Nonetheless, the stigma around care work, be it childcare, special care for older persons or persons with disability, or domestic housekeeping and other related housework, remains predominant.

Through a collaboration between two ILO projects (FAIRWAY Programme and WECare), the ILO is seeking a company specialized in social media campaigns to conceptualize, design, implement and monitor a campaign aiming to tackle the stigma of domestic work in Lebanon by opening up a space for questioning stereotypes and discussion.

Objectives and methods of the campaign

The objectives of the campaign will be to raise awareness of viewers of the value of domestic/home-based care work, to question stereotypes and to de-stigmatize it.

Broadly speaking, the campaign will target the general Lebanese public through innovative and engaging social media content, including one short film (40-45 seconds), 4-5 infographics and regular posts, in Arabic. However, the selected company will work with the ILO to explore further segmentation and strategic entry points and outcomes of the campaign relating to:

- target audience

- target impacts; and

- campaign methods.

The campaign will build on lessons learned from other anti-stigmatization campaigns in Lebanon including those relating specifically to domestic work, and the call for recognizing domestic work in the labour law as well as other thematic areas such as COVID-19 stigmatization and objectification of women in advertising. The campaign will also be informed by ILO research on changing cultural norms relating to domestic work conducted by ILO Geneva in 2020, and in Kuwait in 2022-23, as well as the study of employers perception of domestic workers rights in 2015.

2. Methodology

The selected company will develop a campaign concept/strategy, a creative concept with designs and layouts for different social media platforms and a dissemination strategy (including potential media and/or influencer partnerships). The company will be responsible for implementing the campaign through ILO social media accounts or through a separately created social media account for the campaign (to be confirmed in due course).

Activities: The company will be responsible for the following activities:

• Development of campaign concept/strategy including core objectives, campaign ‘tagline’,  potential media and/or influencer partnerships.
• Development of a creative concept with different designs and layouts including a short filmed or animated video (40-45 seconds), combined with 4-5 creative infographics and a series of other posts.
• Creation of dissemination plan including social media account(s) to use for the campaign and a schedule for roll-out.
• Production of all creative content in Arabic (video should have English subtitles).
• Launch campaign, monitor and boost through paid surges.
• Draft and final social media analytics report developed, with disaggregation based on factors agreed with ILO.

Deliverables: The company will be responsible for the following deliverables:

• Draft campaign strategy with concept and visual directions for decision by ILO.
• Final campaign concept and dissemination strategy.
• Delivery of creative content and schedule for roll-out.
• Social media analytics report produced measuring impressions, as well as active engagement.

3. Language

The campaign strategy should be developed in English, while the campaign itself will be in Arabic (with English subtitles/translation where possible). The translation is the responsibility of the company (and should be incorporated into the proposed budget).

4. Required competencies and experience

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in producing high-quality multi-media visual content;
• Demonstrated experience of running a successful and innovative social media campaign including experience in diverse campaign methods including diverse dissemination methods (which might include partnerships with media, celebrities and influencers, etc);
• Ability and experience in strategic communications design and implementation in Arabic language;
• Interest in behavioural change initiatives and communication for development;
• Sound understanding of labour migration issues, in particular in the domestic work sector in Lebanon and/or Arab States;
• Familiarity with the work of the ILO.

5. Proposals

Interested applicants must submit (as separate attachments):

• A technical proposal: A brief pitch for how the company would a design social media campaign to de-stigmatize domestic work in Lebanon the campaign, including broad campaign concept.
• CVs of team members and previous examples of campaigns run by the company.
• Detailed and comprehensive financial proposal including all required costs such as development of creative content, paid promotion and translation.