In this film titled “The Needed Space,” a tender montage unfolds. Fragments from many homes, each caught in a different chapter of parenthood-in-waiting, from month one to month nine. An adapted version of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” hums through the silence, reimagined like a lullaby not yet sung. No footsteps. No voices. Only the gentle presence of what has been lovingly placed and patiently anticipated.
A crib, bathed in the last light of day, stands quietly in a corner. A mobile toy twinkles shyly in the soft sun that filters through curtains that welcome the sparse rays in. Tiny socks lie folded with care, untouched on a baby cabinet. A little fabric tent, surrounded by soft toys, in a room filled with morning alacrity. A baby chair lays still in the few flecks and remnants of light. A photo frame, still empty, hopes to hold a future smile. A basket of diapers and blankets rests in the quiet corner of a nursery. Sterilized bottles await their duty on a kitchen counter. Squishy bath toys line up on the tub, linger. Fresh baby clothes–just bought and washed for a new baby’s arrival–sway in the breeze, their fabric softened by intention and love. A swing moves ever so gently, touched by wind, not hands. No baby, no mother, no father, no family is seen, yet. Only love, waiting. Only a poignant and powerful revelation.
We discover that some 20% of pregnancies worldwide end in miscarriage. The same statistic also holds true in the United Arab Emirates. Yet, 95% of women (and men) in the United Arab Emirates who have experienced a miscarriage while employed, reported taking no leave days off work to recover from miscarriage grief.
Why? There is no corporate policy that supports grieving parents or offers them any paid leave, because miscarriages are treated like a health condition, and not a loss. This stark absence of compassion from corporate policies reveals an uncomfortable truth: The loss of a child before birth is not treated as a loss at all.
So, “The Leave of Absence” has been launched tackling a topic no one has tackled. It’s a corporate B2B pledge to give employed grieving parents the space and support they deserve.
This pledge has been calling on companies to recognize the deep pain and loss that comes with a miscarriage and implement compassionate bereavement policies that offer parents time to heal.
By acknowledging pregnancy loss as a profound human experience, the pledge will challenge outdated norms and set a new standard for corporate empathy.
Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai created this film for client ItsHerWay, a platform in the United Arab Emirates that supports women in all stages of their business and career journeys. In addition to promoting awareness, “The Needed Space” acts as a trigger point for the entire pledge. The film redirects viewers to the website, where they can download a template of the pledge and submit to their own HR departments. It’s also where heads of companies can sign the pledge to show their support for the cause and implement miscarriage leave for both women and men.
The concept, screenplay and story for the film came from Tahaab Rais, group chief strategy officer for Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai. Rais also directed and edited “The Needed Space” via production company Dejavu Dubai.
