DDB Romania & VIF: The traumatic test that 1,000 Romanian women have to undergo every year

In Romania, young women may be subjected to virginity testing. It’s a two-finger test conducted in forensic facilities throughout the country for the issuance of forensic certificates. According to WHO, there is no scientific proof that this method could determine whether a woman or a young girl engaged in vaginal sexual intercourse or not. From a medical point of view, hymen examination is less than 10% accurate when it comes to determining the virginity of girls and women under examination. Thus, the test is practically useless, and the procedure can be traumatic.

DDB Romania and the Network to Prevent and Tackle Violence against Women (VIF) are raising the alarm on the existence of this abusive practice with a campaign, #UnExaminable, and a PSA that draws a parallel between what a young women feels sitting for the exam through which teenagers step into adulthood (the baccalaureate exam) and the virginity test. The campaign #UnExaminable aims to remove these tests from the Romanian legislation, declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a violation of human rights.

“The fact that WHO declared virginity testing a violation of human rights has determined us to get involved in creating this campaign, which was launched in partnership with VIF Network. ##UnExaminable revolves around an emotional video, with a message that will be supported in the media and social media through various activation tactics. The video has a twist, as the emotional build-up leads to the hardest exam our young protagonist must take, which is not the baccalaureate exam, but the virginity testing,” stated Roxana Niță, creative director, DDB Romania.

In 2019, in Romania, virginity tests accounted for 2% of all examinations carried out by facilities subordinated to the Mina Minovici Forensic Institute (INML) – which means that approximately 1,000 tests are conducted per year. There are two types of examinations currently performed in our country, one in connection with criminal investigations, the other at the request of parents – particularly fathers.

The social campaign was created pro bono by DDB Romania, with the support of ABIS Studio; Porter Novelli; Media Investment; film director, Iulia Rugină; actress, Voica Oltean; songwriter, Mihai Dobre; and photographer, Adi Bulboacă.

“Virginity testing is a form of discrimination, and virginity is not a scientific term, but rather a social, cultural, and religious term, which reflects gender discrimination against women, wherever such tests are allowed and accepted. We are hoping with this campaign to raise awareness among the wide audience, particularly among parents, of the dangers young adolescent girls are subjected to in Romania, by going through such experiences,” commented Andrada Cilibiu, PR and communication coordinator, FILIA Center, part of VIF network.

“I am always touched by any form of violence against women. When I was asked to contribute to the #UnExaminable campaign, I saw it as an opportunity to make a change. The first step towards making a change is to speak openly about a problem, instead of sweeping it all under rug, as well as to sanction any form of abuse. If you don’t know anything about it, it doesn’t mean it is not real. I believe it is crucial for people to know that such ‘testing’ still occurs in Romania in 2022, and that they are incredibly traumatizing for teenage girls and their sole purpose is to further preposterous bias about what a woman should do with her own body,” added Iulia Rugină, director of the campaign video.

An online petition has been created to eliminate this type of testing from national legislation. The campaign’s petition is supported by the non-governmental organisation, Declic.