Winner: International Organization for Migration and Newlink Communications
Campaign: Shining the Light on Human Rights Abuses and Dangers of Trafficked Latino Immigrants
Illegal immigration is a dangerous business, in part because it operates so far below the radar. Human trafficking and smuggling are crimes that often go unreported and even
undetected by most people. Newlink Communications took aim at the issue of trafficking of people and protection of migrants' rights for the International Organization for
Migration.
A public service campaign boosted awareness among lower-income populations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Central America about the perils of embarking on an
unsanctioned journey to the U.S. The target audiences included potential victims and opinion leaders. The team developed messaging that would provoke a change in mindset,
convincing potential victims that it was too dangerous to start a new life through "irregular" immigration.
The media strategy took into consideration the illiteracy levels of much of the target audience, relying on visual and audio content to convey its information. Real-life
examples portrayed victims of trafficking who were willing to share their stories. The program provided press materials through news videos and PSAs, and created a Web site as a
central database. It timed the launch for the Day of Human Rights and the Day of Non-Violence Against Women to capture news media's attention during that time. The campaign
generated the equivalent of a $1.6 million in ad value in November/December 2005.
Honorable Mention
The 2006 Reebok Human Rights Awards is a cause-related program under which young activists from Zimbabwe, China, Kashmir and the United States are recognized for their
significant contributions to the field of human rights through nonviolent means. In an attempt to generate media coverage for the actions of individual recipients both nationally
and internationally, public relations agency Hill & Knowlton employed a "three-pronged strategy" through which they were able to identify reporters who had previously covered
specific human rights issues and focus on select target news outlets for a more precise approach. In doing so, H&K was able to reach international leaders and global
policymakers and activists, as well as the Associated Press, Epoch Times, MTV, CNN International, Radio Free Asia, ABC News Now and other media outlets.