Child sexual abuse inquiry launches £1m advertising drive
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), a body established to investigate claims of abuse at public institutions, religious organisations, voluntary groups and private institutions, has launched a £1m advertising campaign to find victims and survivors who are willing to recount their experiences and provide personal testimonies.
Child sexual abuse inquiry launches £1m advertising drive
Spanning billboards, radio and magazines the promotional push is being devised by MullenLowe and will begin in three regions this month before going nationwide next year in a bid to combat flagging public interest and support for its work.
The nationwide appeal dovetails with a separate contract in which the IICSA will pay £120,000 to a PR agency in order to increase the number of abuse survivors it engages with over the next two-years.
The promotional activity is intended to support The Truth Project which invites respondents to get in touch to share their own experiences in a safe and confidential manner but which has conducted only 500 face-to-face meetings since it was formed in 2015.
This has fed growing dissatisfaction with the inquiry, exacerbated by complaints from victims groups that they have been largely excluded from proceedings with survivors voices rarely heard during evidence sessions.
Anti-abuse adverts have adopted novel ways of engaging with their target audience including a Spanish campaign which used lenticular printing to display a different image to children than adults.