Aesop's Latest Campaign Unveils Menacing Hidden Messages in Insta-Poetry for Anti-Trafficking Charity
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Unseen’s Modern Slavery Helpline provides a vital service to the UK public, offering potential victims and other concerned parties access to invaluable free help and guidance from trained advisors. The information gained via the helpline helps Unseen to research and build a picture of modern slavery in the UK, used to support efforts in tackling and preventing slavery and human trafficking. Unfortunately, funding cuts threaten to disconnect this helpline, which has been active since 2016.
For Anti-Slavery Day 2019, on October 18th, London-based creative agency Aesop, which focuses on storytelling to make a difference for good, is launching a campaign with Unseen called #UnseenStories. The personal tragedies of human trafficking are often born from false promises and manipulative overtures of trust. Aesop’s creative approach to tackling double-meanings and secret messages encapsulates the ways in which modern slavery hides in plain sight.
As Creative Director Jonty Harbinson explains it, “We were inspired by ‘insta-poetry’ online that romanticises toxic relationships and escapist fantasies. There was something unsettling about the parallel between this kind of poetry and real-life stories of survivors.” The stories will be posted on lenticular billboards and posters across Britain, as well as on social media, using the hashtag #UnseenStories. In Bristol, where Unseen was founded, bright green projections will light up individual homes across the suburbs, further highlighting the often ‘hidden-in-plain-sight’ nature of modern slavery.
Unseen has already raised over £100,000 so far, but still has a ways to go in its efforts to raise the much needed £800,000 to sustain the helpline long-term. Since the helpline’s launch in 2016, over 15,000 modern slavery victims have been identified.
To donate to Unseen and help save the Modern Slavery Helpline before 30th November, click the button below.