Socially Responsible Guerrilla

Via Ads of the World

In Calcutta, children street vendors are lured into prostitution daily, but the majority of citizens feel that this doesn't happen where they live. In order to raise public awareness about the problem, Krishnayam, a NGO, staged serveral "illicit interactions" between older men and young girls (all paid actors) in several busy parts of the city. At the sight of this, bystanders became enraged and the message, "Stop child prostitution-- Call 1098" was revealed by the actors.

Soon after, a 360 degree campaign followed that included a website, numerous promotional signs and banners throughout the city, as well as promotional toys, like dolls, in order to grab people's attention and remind citizens that child prostitution does happen in their city. The whole campaign was well-received and garnered a lot of media attention, as well as support from concerned citizens. Calls to the helpline increased 47% during the following months.