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Launched in 2010 as picture sharing became popular in other apps, Instagram has come a long way from its first days of artsy snaps. The app grew exponentially, first fuelled by the selfie craze and after by the company’s savvy strategy of working with brands and influencers. Boasting 2.35 billion monthly active users, Instagram is one of three giants of social media, alongside Facebook and YouTube.

Instagram allows users to easily create powerful visual publications and has thus become an important tool for advocacy, raising awareness and sharing information. Activists no longer need costly production work to create impactful content and many use it to report on their daily work, spread striking data with effective visuals or make the most of the creative freedom it allows by constantly reinventing the way content is shared. 

Despite legitimate concerns around its impact on mental health, especially of young women, Instagram has proven a powerful tool for story-telling and campaigning, as demonstrated by the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and campaigns like #metoo, #NiUnaMenos, #HeForShe or #YesAllWomen.  

With this in mind, The Pixel Project presents our third annual selection of 16 organisations and activists using Instagram in service of the cause to end violence against women. These are organisations from different countries and people with very different backgrounds, using Instagram across the world in very different ways, but sharing a common vision of a world where women and girls can live free of all forms of violence.

Note: You can access the Instagram accounts listed below by clicking on the name of the organisation in each title. 

Introduction by Bernardo Rosa Rodrigues and Regina Yau; written and compiled by Bernardo Rosa Rodrigues.

Inspired to support The Pixel Project’s anti-violence against women work? Make a donation to us today OR buy our 1st poetry collection, Under Her Eye. All donations and net proceeds from book sales go towards supporting our campaigns, programmes, and initiatives.

Instagram Follow Recommendation #1: The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project – USA & Asia Pacific Region

Since 1996, the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (A/PI DVRP) has provided services to survivors of domestic violence in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. A/PI DVRP is an organisation that was founded by survivors and continues to be survivor-led and driven. Their Instagram account is an excellent window into their many activities such as workshops for various stakeholders and Domestic Violence Awareness Month campaigns for the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, many of which are also available online.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #2: AWARE – Singapore

AWARE is an organisation that advocates for gender equality and provides critical support services for women in Singapore. AWARE believes in the rights of women and men to make informed and responsible choices about their lives and to have equal opportunities in education, marriage and employment, and in the right of women to control their own bodies, particularly with regard to sexual and reproductive rights. Their account boasts more than 20k followers and it’s packed with powerful messages, factsheets and graphics that inform and raise awareness about violence against women in Singapore.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #3: End FGM Canada – Canada

The End FGM Canada Network is a non-partisan group of survivors, individuals and organisations working to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and support survivors both in Canada and abroad. Their mission is to be the leading force in Canada to end all forms of FGM/C, working collaboratively with stakeholders to increase awareness, strengthen measures to protect girls at risk, and aid in the creation of systems of support for impacted women and girls. End FGM Canada has a very active Instagram account covering their work, their awareness raising events, and powerful survivor stories.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #4: End Gender Apartheid – Iran and Afghanistan

End Gender Apartheid is a global action launched in March 2023 by Afghan and Iranian activists to end gender apartheid. The movement is supported by UN experts and calls for systematic oppression based on gender to be recognised as a form of apartheid under international law. Their Instagram account has over 40k followers and depicts progress in the campaign while continuing to shed light on the increasing violations of women’s rights in the two countries.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #5: Freedom House Illinois – USA 

Freedom House is a women’s shelter based in Illinois that provides compassionate, confidential, free services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault while also raising awareness about these issues. Its mission is to help victims of any type of abuse–whether verbal, physical, emotional, or financial–and provide them with a place to receive assistance and security from abuse. Their Instagram account mirrors their mission perfectly, showcasing their support resources and taking clear stands against all types of violence and abusive behaviour.

  

Instagram Follow Recommendation #6: International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) – India

The International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) was founded in 2001 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. They create and extend support services for women and queer individuals affected by domestic and interpersonal violence. PCVC is a rights-based organisation that strongly believes in a survivor-centric approach. Clients drive the process and make all decisions regarding their life with the full and unconditional support of a team of social workers, psychologists and welfare officers. Their Instagram features women who have broken barriers, as well as tips for identifying the warning signs of abuse and advice on building healthy relationships.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #7: International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) – Australia and Asia Pacific

IWDA is an Australia-based organisation resourcing diverse women’s rights organisations primarily in Asia and the Pacific and contributing to global feminist movements to advance their vision of gender equality for all. IWDA’s Instagram account includes powerful messages and information about violence against women and also puts the spotlight on significant developments like ongoing humanitarian crises, important elections, and campaigns for change in the region in terms of women’s human rights.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #8: Just Associates (JASS) – Worldwide

Just Associates (JASS) believes that women who are most affected by the political, economic, environmental, and health crises reverberating across the world are on the frontlines of change. As a global women-led human rights network of activists, popular educators, and scholars in 31 countries, the Alliance works to ensure women leaders are more confident, better organised, louder, and safer as they take on critical human rights issues. Their colourful and attractive Instagram account is packed with information about their work and events, relevant world news, and empowering statements.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #9: Musasa – Zimbabwe

Founded in 1988, Musasa is an NGO whose operations are based on advocacy, peace building and provision of direct services such as counselling, legal aid, medical assistance, life skills and temporary shelter to survivors of gender-based violence. Their Instagram account combines reports from their activities on the ground with useful tips and offers lifelines to support available to victims.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #10: Rain Collective – Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

The Rain Collective mission is to address the root causes of human trafficking via education and intervention and to tackle the human trafficking networks and channels in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Rain Collective works with clusters of community-based organisations for a medium tenure of two to four years to resolve structural causes that keep the channels of human trafficking thriving in MENA. Rain Collective also has an active seven-stage repatriation programme for survivors who find themselves deeply enmeshed in networks of human trafficking. Rain Collective’s Instagram account is varied and very informative, covering events, news, testimonies and plenty of links to educational resources.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #11: Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia – Saint Lucia

Founded in 2012, Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia is an organisation determined to empower women and children who are victims of domestic violence in Saint Lucia by providing them the social and economic skills necessary to help them reach their fullest potential. Their Instagram account covers their outreach activities and regularly features empowering messages and tips for victims.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #12: Saathi  – Nepal

Saathi is a non-governmental organisation established in 1992 to address the different forms of violence and discrimination faced by Nepali women and girls. It presents itself as the first organisation drawing national attention to domestic violence in Nepal and calling for urgent attention and intervention to break the silence impacting the lives of many marginalised women and girls. Their Instagram account covers their indefatigable work in raising awareness to gender-based violence and breaking down gender stereotypes across Nepal.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #13: Safe and Equal – Australia

Safe and Equal is an independent, non-governmental organisation in Victoria, Australa that specialises in family and gender-based violence across the continuum, including primary prevention, early intervention, response and recovery. Their vision is a world where everyone is safe, respected and thriving, living free from family and gender-based violence. Their work prioritises the safety of all people experiencing, recovering from or at risk of family and gender-based violence. Safe and Equal expertly uses their Instagram account by including powerful headlines that lead to informative commentary and plenty of useful resources for their members and the wider public. 

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #14: SHOFCO – Kenya

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) is a grassroots movement that catalyses large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls. Their mission is to unleash the inherent power, dignity, and hope of communities in informal settlements, creating opportunities for all to thrive together. With more than 10k followers, their account showcases the diversity of their activities and the impact they’re having, and it includes powerful testimonies from high-profile people like actress Salma Hayek.  

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #15: Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI) – Guatemala

The Women’s Justice Initiative is a Guatemala-based organisation dedicated to combatting gender inequality and ending violence against indigenous girls and women in rural communities. WJI aims to improve the lives of indigenous Guatemalan women and girls through education, access to legal services and gender-based violence prevention. Their carefully curated Instagram account highlights the challenges and victories of WJI in their fight against violence against women and girls, with heartening testimonies of the lives they touched.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #16: Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRCDV) – USA

WRCDV provides support and services to survivors of domestic violence and their children in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area. The Center helps them find safe places to stay, exercise their legal rights, and explore options, and provides them with the resources to create accountability for batterers. It adopts a “no-judgement, no second-guessing” approach that is free of shaming and aims to provide connection through relationships built with staff, support groups, and bonds forged with fellow safe house residents. WRCDV’s Instagram account features regular updates on their work and events as well as very powerful messages on unacceptable behaviours in healthy relationships.

The top picture is a Creative Commons image: