2012 CSR Awards: Human Rights Communications/Social Justice Communications

Winner: The Body Shop – Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Global Petition

How do you inspire millions of people to band together around a singular cause and affect true, tangible change? For The Body Shop, it came through a commitment to a simple, but focused call-to-action—a petition designed to end the sex trafficking of children and young people. “We learned that a commitment to simple, human communications that strike a balance between hearts and minds will compel an audience to take action,” said Shelley Simmons, director, brand communications and values, The Body Shop Americas. While the communication was simple, everything else about The Body Shop’s campaign was larger than life. The company rolled out the petition both online and in stores, with calls to take action that spanned 50 countries. The campaign secured the support of celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman, each of whom signed the petition and provided signature handprints—for a human touch. And what a powerful statement that was: Seven million signatures directly led to 14 countries across the world committing to adopt new legislation that would combat and stop the sex trafficking of youths. —SP

 

Honorable Mention:

ManpowerGroup – ManpowerGroup Campaign Against Human Trafficking: ManpowerGroup led the media campaign for Row for Freedom, an initiative from Sport Against Trafficking, in which six ordinary women rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic—a route previously used by the Atlantic slave trade—to raise money for charities that support victims of human trafficking. It was just one of the many ways through which ManpowerGroup took a leadership position in driving change to eradicate human trafficking.