NSPCC Film Urges People to Break the Silence on Childhood Sexual Abuse

Leo Burnett have created a new campaign with  UK children’s charity, the NSPCC, which aims to break the silence around child sexual abuse. 

The campaign features 60”, 40” and 30” videos and breaks on Wednesday 1st November, running until 3rd December on TV, VOD and YouTube. 

The brief was to change attitudes and beliefs around sexual abuse in order to increase donations to the charity. 

Tessa Herbert, Head of Marketing at the NSPCC said: “One in 20 children experience sexual abuse and speaking out can be incredibly difficult. 

Everything the NSPCC does - from Childline and their adult helpline to their work in the community – helps to break this silence and prevent abuse from ever happening.  This is only possible with the help of our supporters and that’s why this campaign is so important.

“We are asking people to support our vital work, and also providing a reminder that, if you suspect sexual abuse is happening, talking about it is always the right thing to do. By all working together to break the silence, we can start the conversations that end child abuse.” 

As such, everything the children’s charity does starts with breaking this silence. It’s the only way to protect those who’ve suffered abuse and to prevent it from happening at all.

The work highlights the shocking fact that one in 20 children in the UK experiences sexual abuse. For these children, and for those who suspect it might be happening, speaking out can be extremely difficult.  

 

Oliver Farrington, Creative Director at Leo Burnett added: “There’s a real silence around child sexual abuse. Thousands of children are affected by it - but we all find it very tough to talk about, and people are scared to speak up.

"The NSPCC wants to break this silence, help with the difficult conversations and encourage people to talk. And we just tried to capture that intent in a powerful way.” 

The video is titled ‘Say Something’ and features the thoughts of a little girl and her netball coach, both ultimately breaking the silence with a simple “hi” which is the first step towards addressing their internal conflict. It ends with a call to action, urging the audience to help the NSPCC by encouraging conversation if abuse is suspected and to donate at nspcc.org.uk.