If you don’t fight child abuse, who will?

Conny Sanchez

Background Information

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is part of a global effort to save, protect, and improve children’s lives. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF was founded in 1947 to support its work by raising funds for its programs and increasing awareness of the challenges facing world’s children.

This particular ad was part of a fundraising campaign from UNICEF South Africa and was released April of 2010.

What is the purpose of this ad? The image is made

to be poignant. It moves the viewers emotions, which causes them to take action against child abuse and donate money to fight against it.

Who is the intended audience? Since this ad is part of

a fundraising campaign, the intended audience would be any viewer. The ad is trying to get people to donate money and it is clearly made by the campaign through the caption, “If you don’t fight child abuse, who will?”

What is the focal point in the image?

The main focus in the image is the wall made of blocks. It’s directed here to see the child’s effort to fight on his own. It shows a real attempt made by the child’s own imagination to keep himself safe.

Omission

The omission of what is behind the door leaves the audience imagining what has happened or what could happen. The abuser is also not known, so it could be anyone. However, the setting appears to be in the child’s own bedroom, so the viewer questions whether it’s one or both parents abusing the child.

Is there a visual contrast? There is only some

light peeking through the door but the entire room is dark. Usually, we feel more secure in the light but in this image it is opposite. The dark room seems safer than the outside.

What is the emotional appeal? The child has built a

wall of building blocks as a hope of protection. It makes the viewer fear of what could happen to the little boy laying in bed and tugs at the heart. The audience knows that toys won’t protect children if they don’t.

What is the ethical appeal? The ethical appeal would

be the UNICEF logo on the bottom of the image. The logo is similar to the United Nations’ emblem. The globe with the olive branches represents world peace. The adult holding a baby inside the globe represents their belief that a child needs love and protection.

What is the logical appeal? The logical appeal

in this ad is that the audience knows that building blocks can’t protect the child from what is inside the door. The child considers his toys as protection but adults know that they are harmless objects.

UNICEF Campaign

Bibliography

UNICEF,. If you don’t fight child abuse who will. 2010. Photograph. Nonprofitcommunication.org, South Africa. Web. 14 Oct 2012.