Rights-based and non-stigmatising messaging for SRHR advocacy

‘Rights-based’ means the content you share is centred in and promotes human rights.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is a term that underlines efforts to improve SRHR outcomes of every individual. This can be through changing service delivery, legal frameworks, justice systems, social norms, or individual knowledge. The overarching goal is to ensure that everyone has the right to make decisions freely about their own bodies.

International treaties state that SRHR is an important component of human rights, inextricably linked to right to life, health, privacy, non-discrimination, education, and freedom from torture.

They emphasise that the holistic wellbeing of each individual is central and paramount in the fulfilment of human rights. Therefore, the realisation of every individual’s human rights is the goal of the language in SRHR advocacy.

Rights-based language aims to empower rights holders (the individual) to claim their rights, as well as to encourage duty bearers (stakeholders) to meet their obligations under international, regional, and national laws.

Topics can also be approached from a public-health, harm-reduction, or reproductive-justice standpoint.

All support progress towards the individual having access to information, resources and services they need to fulfil their human rights.

Stigma is the belief that an issue is morally unacceptable or wrong, therefore creating a negative view of the issue within communities, among stakeholders, and on a wider scale.

Stigma is often perpetuated by society (particularly opponents of the topic). Stigma stems from different sources and can come from policies and laws governing a certain issue. If a law has been made restricting access or rights of a certain issue or group, this sends a message to the people living in that country that these things are inherently bad, as individuals could believe that there must be a good reason as to why they have been restricted. This is particularly true for abortion, LGBTI+ rights, and marginalised populations’ and youth access to SRHR services.

Stigma can come from social norms and cultural beliefs. Religious beliefs, gender norms, and cultural tradition all contribute to stigma within community and family structures, making it difficult for individuals to advocate for a change that goes against these ingrained norms. Abortion, LGBTI+ rights, FGM/C, and child marriage are key examples of SRHR issues that can be socially stigmatised and affected by cultural and religious beliefs.

Stigma can come from a lack of knowledge or understanding about an issue. If an issue is widely misunderstood, or individuals, communities, or societies do not have access to fact-based sources about the issue, incorrect information about an issue can be perpetuated and contribute to the stigmatisation of the issue. For example, people may refuse to share meals with HIV+ individuals due to the incorrect belief that HIV can be transmitted through touch or saliva, even though medical experts have proven that the only means of transmission for HIV are through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breastmilk.

Non-stigmatising messaging means that the messages and images you communicate about a certain topic do not contribute to the marginalisation or negative portrayal of the cause you are promoting.

1) If available, review previous communication tools that your organisation has used or produced and analyse their outcomes to learn about what worked and what could be improved.

2) Set out clear objectives and outcomes for your communication strategy. Ensure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound (SMART) and respond to:

• what you want to achieve
• why you want to achieve it
• how you propose to achieve it, and
• what action you want audience to take

For example: if you are aiming to raise awareness about the consequences of child marriage through a communications campaign, a SMART communications strategy could be:

By the end of 6 months we want to have reached 500 school-aged girls and for them to be equipped with resources to report child marriage to authorities to increase their ability to advocate for their own rights to not be married. By distributing a guide on how to report violations via school trainings and social media, young women and girls will identify and report more cases of child marriage amongst their peers and advocate for their rights.

3) Conduct an audience analysis. Identify your audience(s) and learn as much about them as possible.

Learn the best way to present your cause to your audience and find out what motivates them to take action. For example, you might need to emphasise certain aspects of your cause, such as rights-based, public health, judicial, or socio-economic implications, depending on what is most relevant and important to your audience.

Make sure everything you communicate is appropriate to the situation and environment you are working in. Clear messaging is not always bold messaging – your words and images in your campaign should stay sensitive to the lives and beliefs of your audience.

What do we mean by different ways of presenting your cause?

For example:

FGM is a violation of women’s and girls’ right to health, life, and dignity, as the health consequences of FGM can be severe and long-lasting, including infertility, haemorrhaging, and death.

This message emphasises the public health consequences of FGM and how it connects to human rights.

4) Determine what the most effective communication channel will beto reach your target audience(s). For example, reaching youth through social media, reaching illiterate populations through radio, etc.

5) Choose the most effective messenger for your communications campaign. Analysing who your audience best responds to is crucial for ensuring your messages are well-received.

For example, if you find that decision-makers respond best to people who are well-educated and well-respected in their communities, perhaps a community leader or chief would be best placed to deliver the advocacy message.
Another example would be if you find that girls and young women look up to successful, university-aged women, find a strong advocate who is a university student to be your messenger.

6) Create compelling messages that connect with your audience(s). This can be strengthened by having your audience(s) participate in the creation of messaging or pre-testing the messages.

7) Get expert input and review when needed to boost your confidence.

8) Make the case for why action is needed now and integrate concrete actions into your messaging. This allows for people to engage with your issue more easily.

9) Ensure that you have budgeted enough for the type of communication campaign that you will be leading.

10) Identify risks associated with your topic and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.

11) Establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for your communication strategy, considering the resources and tools you will need to effectively evaluate. This should be reflective of the SMART outcomes you set up at the beginning of your planning.

12) Start with systematic planning. Be prepared for the 3 R’s – Review and Revise Regularly.

After following these steps, you should be in a good place to start your communications strategy or campaign!

Ensure your language follows the below criteria:

• Clear: avoid jargon, acronyms, and complicated words. Simple is best
• Accurate: all language must be correct and based on evidence
• Non-stigmatising: verify that you use language that does not have negative connotations
• Readable: use language that is spoken by your audience

Examples:

Problematic text:

Remember that it will be your fault if you decide not to report a sexual assault and the attacker harms you again or harms someone else. The attackers always have a choice and made one to hurt you and they are fully responsible for it. For this they should be stopped and punished accordingly.

In this example, the language is accusatory and passes judgement on the reader. It reinforces the myth that sexual assault is the fault of the victim, contributing to stigmatisation of sexual assault survivors.

Corrected text:

No matter who the attacker is, even if it is a family member, you should report the attack to the police. The attacker made a choice to hurt you. You can make the choice to stop and punish them accordingly by reporting to the police.

With a few corrections, the text has eliminated the stigmatising language and has transferred the power to the survivor who is reading the text. It also specifies how to go about reporting an assault, which is in line with providing accurate information.

It is important that the language you use remains neutral and unbiased and cannot be interpreted as passing judgement.

Facts and statistics should be relevant and backed up by reputable sources that are clearly shown or stated.

When working on the legal situation of your cause, ensure that the description of the law is accurate (see below). However, in some cases, the law is more restrictive than the reality, or the reality is more restrictive than the law. It is useful to highlight this in your message if it is relevant.

If your aim is to share information on services or care, what is legally available, and how to access these services, ensure it is well researched, backed up, and falls in line with the legal guidelines of your country.

While retaining the central theme of a message, it is essential to adapt messages to what motivates your audience to act.

Often, storytelling and sharing personal experiences can be effective in promoting your cause, if done in a safe, sensitive, and thoughtful manner.

Remember to acquire consent and respect the privacy wishes of the participant and put structures in place to protect their identity, if necessary.

Examples of some fact-based policy and law resources you can use:

WHO’s Global Abortion Policies Database for the most updated information on laws and policies regarding abortion in your country.

UNICEF’s resource on Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting Country Profiles for a summary of laws and policies, as well as up-to-date statistics, regarding FGM in your country.

ILGA’s report on State-Sponsored Homophobia for most updated laws and policies regarding LGBTI rights in your country.

Images should be used to enhance the message you are communicating, not act solely as a placeholder or to fill empty space. They need to be appropriate to the issue you are discussing.

Avoid images that show strong negative emotions, trauma, and disturbing situations, and that are shocking and explicit, as this can have an adverse effect on your audience. For example:

• Triggering or traumatising images can have a negative effect on individuals you are looking to empower or support
• Negative images can create confusion if not put into context
• Positive images will contribute to a higher likelihood of acceptance or engagement with your campaign

Avoid images that could contribute to the victimization of the subjects.

Individuals who appear in your images should be protected/anonymized or have given consent to have their faces shown.

If you cannot show people’s faces, avoid using techniques like blurring their faces as this can imply shame. Instead, use a picture that obscures their identity, or use cartoons. If filming, use their voice over a different image related to the cause.

Remember: children cannot consent to have their photo used for public dissemination. You must ensure you take clear consent from parents or guardians when using images of children; for example, use a consent form such as this example.

Images should accurately reflect the reality of the SRHR issue you are advocating for.

Avoid misrepresenting the issue; this can be done by selecting photos that are medically accurate, relevant to the point you are making, and could not theoretically be used by the opposition to support their position.

Ensure that your image can stand alone. If, when testing your image, your audience cannot interpret what message is being communicated, rework the image until you arrive at a clear alternative.

1. Does my message use neutral, unbiased, simple, context-specific, and non-judgemental language and images when talking about this issue?
2. Is every piece of information communicated verifiable and backed up by evidence?
3. Have I provided references and links where necessary?
4. Have I made my message and images context-specific and focused on the individual and their rights?
5. Have I accurately and responsibly integrated the voices of those affected by the issue?
6. Have I secured consent for every person participating in the video, radio, article, photographs, etc.?
7. Have I avoided using shocking, explicit, or misrepresentative images related to my cause?
8. Does my message avoid using terms, images, or phrases that are similar to what the opposition would use?
9. Have I shared my messaging and communications materials with my team and other stakeholders for feedback?
10. Have I tested my message (either through focus groups or discussions with representatives from key groups, for example)?

Content of this guide was drawn from International Planned Parenthood Federation’s How to Talk about Abortion: A Guide to Rights-Based Messaging. For the video that accompanies this guide, you can watch it here. 

Other sources that supported the development of this guide were: 

Women Help Women, Speaking about self-managed abortion with pill: A practical guide 

International Planned Parenthood Federation, Youth messaging checklist: Dos and don’ts in information, education and communication materials 

International Planned Parenthood Federation, How to report on abortion – A guide for journalists, editors and media outlets 

Rise Up, Guide to Girl-Centred Advocacy: Communications and Storytelling 

Hesperian Health Guides, Health Actions for Women – Building a Women’s Health Movement: Creating a Communications Strategy 

Ipas, Abortion stigma ends here: A toolkit for understanding and action 

Images of Empowerment (positive stock photos from around the world)