No LOLs in this mannequin-challenge video

Following up on last year's 'Nursery crimes' campaign against child sex abuse, Naga DDB Tribal has launched a new video on behalf of PS the Children. Subverting the mannequin-challenge video trend, the two and a half minute clip takes viewers on a disturbing tour of a brothel selling sex with children.

ECD Alvin Teoh said the work, part of "our long battle against abuse and exploitation of children" pushes for "better laws in the area of grooming, abuse and exploitation". The video leads to a petition on NGO Hub Asia calling for better laws.

The backing music is from "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd, a track popular in mannequin-challenge videos. An alternate version of the video also includes the song's vocal track. That version, although more haunting, isn't mobile-friendly due to licensing contraints, Teoh explained.

Campaign Asia-Pacific comments:

While the video doesn't have quite the same gut-punch level of impact as 'Nursery crimes', it is nonetheless uncomfortable viewing and gets one's blood boiling. We hope it incites action and leads to useful legal reform. Like some of the YouTube commenters, we did find it slightly odd that the video didn't appear to include any westerners among the predator-clients it showed.

'Nursery crimes', by the way, appeared twice in our recent review of 2016, leading off our list of the best campaigns and also coming in fifth in the list of the year's most-read articles. 

CREDITS

Alvin Teoh - ECD
Alex Wong - Creative Director,
Jeremy Yeoh - Creative Group Head
Simon Yip - Art Director
Rachel Hoo - Sr Art Director
Candice Choa - Copywriter
Albert Ang - Video Specialist
Sharon DeSilva - Head of AV

Production: Reservoir World
Chun Son - Executive Producer
Chia Lok - Film Director/DOP
Hadi Hamid - Film Director
Nadia  - Line Producer

(This article first appeared on CampaignAsia.com)