CSR Awards: Human Rights Communications – The Body Shop

Campaign: Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People

Every year, an estimated 1.2 million child victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation globally. This grim statistic registered such a potent impression on The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick that right before her death, she expressed a wish that her company launch a global campaign to address the issue of sex trafficking. Her wish was realized in August 2009, when The Body Shop’s Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People initiative debuted.

Objectives of the campaign, which will run in 400-plus stores in the U.S. and Canada for three years, are to raise awareness of the issue; to raise funds to support interventions; and to drive long-term improvements by empowering customers of The Body Shop to call for change. To facilitate and implement the program, The Body Shop partnered with ECPAT USA, Beyond Borders and The Somaly Mam Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the sex trafficking industry.

To provide immediate support, The Body Shop created the Soft Hands, Kind Hearts hand cream. All proceeds from purchasing the cream are donated to campaign partners to enable them to extend their reach and intervention in providing support for young trafficking victims. In the first four months of the launch, the campaign raised $289,914 for its partners. To date, 629 media outlets have featured stories on the campaign. ■

Honorable Mentions:

Weber Shandwick on Behalf of Humanity United: Sudan Now Campaign —
With the singular goal of a strong U.S. policy toward Sudan and immediate action by the Obama administration, Weber Shandwick partnered with Humanity United and Center for American Progress to implement “Sudan Now.” Through hard-hitting advertising in key publications and a grassroots online component, Sudan Now has managed to start conversations among policy makers, reenergize Darfur/Sudan activists and engage the media as well as new constituencies.

March 1, 2010