Marriage or Gateway to Abuse? The UN Women Campaign Turning Bridal Henna into Bruises

“One out of every three married women in Pakistan has faced some form of domestic violence, and the vast majority of them do not speak up about it. Our task was to convey this uncomfortable truth in a powerful visual narrative.”

Impact BBDO Dubai shares the sobering statistic that drove its sobering visual campaign for UN Women. ‘InkVisible’ turned bridal henna – a celebratory adornment during a Pakistani wedding – into a harrowing symbol of what too often follows: abuse.

The series of films and stills see women in vibrant bridalwear preparing for the big day with their henna artist. But while we expect to see intricate designs on their hands and legs, we’re instead met with a tattooed black eye, strangulation marks, a cut lip.

But ‘InkVisible’ goes further than merely raising awareness. As a bride’s trusted ally, henna artists were enlisted to educate brides-to-be about their spousal rights, and shared henna cones with hotline numbers – resulting in a rise in calls. Human rights authorities and parliamentarians have also used the campaign to call for real, legislative change.

Ali Rez (chief creative officer, MENAP, Impact BBDO), Rana Sadek (creative director, Impact BBDO Dubai), and Maya Sfair (freelance creative) tell LBB’s Zara Naseer about the creation of ‘InkVisible’, how it’s helping women break their silence, and its journey into parliament.

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LBB> What was your collaborative relationship with UN Women like?

Impact BBDO> IMPACT BBDO has had a very long and meaningful relationship with UN Women, running on nine years now. We have launched at least one campaign every year for them, sometimes in multiple markets. This has been a highly collaborative relationship in which we have not only solved direct briefs from the organisation, but also pro-actively identified areas that we could offer impactful solutions on.

Through this trusting partnership, we have built influential campaigns that have addressed and fought against child marriages, dowry abuse, domestic violence, period poverty, equality in education, and even the recognition of mothers’ names. As with every campaign in the past, UN Women were very active around this latest idea, not only providing data but also enabling scale in the campaign by engaging lawmakers and parliamentarians.

LBB> What insights sparked the campaign's creation?

Impact BBDO> The insight for this campaign is around the irony that while marriages are meant to spark joy and celebration, a third of them become gateways to abuse. The chances of a woman in Pakistan being abused rise when she gets married – a terrifying and sobering reading of the data point that one out of every three married women in Pakistan has faced some form of domestic violence, and the vast majority of them do not speak up about it. Our task was to convey this uncomfortable truth in a powerful visual narrative.

LBB> How did you come up with the idea of turning bridal henna into a symbol of spousal abuse, and what makes it so effective?

Impact BBDO> Henna has always been a symbol of joy, weddings, celebration. But we thought: What if we used it differently? What if henna could speak for those who can’t? So we turned henna into something much more powerful – a way to ink the invisible. Designs that looked beautiful on the surface revealed the hidden bruises and scars underneath. Suddenly, it wasn’t just art. It was a statement.

That contrast between beauty and pain made people stop, look closer, and feel something real. It wasn’t just about awareness – the craft became a visual protest. And launching it during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women gave it the moment it deserved. The message landed when the world was ready to listen. To us, that’s what good work does. It makes you feel. And pushes you to take action.

LBB> Tell us about the craft behind the InkVisible film and stills. How does each element, from the art direction to the edit to the music, help convey the campaign’s message?

Impact BBDO> The art direction isn’t just a detail in #InkVisible –it’s what makes it stand out. A single, long tracking shot captures what should be a joyful moment, as a hand delicately applies henna on the skin. But as the camera pulls back, the atmosphere unravels – the joy fades, the music becomes sombre, and the unsettling truth emerges. Henna, once a symbol of love and celebration, is no longer adorning hands; instead, it forms a black eye, or the bruises around a woman’s neck that was strangulated, or a cut lip. This haunting transformation forces the audience to confront the unspoken realities hidden behind closed doors.

On the stills, the contrast is just as powerful. Clad in vibrant, colourful wedding attire, our models exude tradition – but their eyes and expressions tell a different story. The henna, delicately traced across their eyes, necks, and lips, doesn’t celebrate love; it inks a hidden reality, silently speaking the truth that often goes unheard.

Overall, this cinematic approach combined with the reimagining of a traditional symbol as a beacon of change powerfully hit a chord, a call to break the cycle of abuse and reclaim a life free from violence.

LBB> What impact do you hope for this campaign to have, and how are you measuring it?

Impact BBDO> Perhaps the secret ingredient of this campaign lies in the element of surprise. Henna has never been used in this manner. The unexpected twist leaves viewers with a sense of discomfort, forcing them to confront the reality of spousal abuse. On the surface, this shock value is the immediate impact, but on a deeper level, the campaign goes beyond raising awareness.

It enlisted henna artists as trusted allies, educating brides-to-be about their spousal rights and distributing henna cones with hotline numbers. The campaign was so powerful that human rights authorities embraced it, and parliamentarians took it to the floor, adorning their faces with henna to call for legislative change. The rise in hotline calls confirms the campaign's success in helping women break their silence, and its national embrace proves it’s not just raising awareness – it’s creating a lifeline.