Name
Professor’s name
Course
Date
Analyzing an Advertisement: Innocence in Danger: Where’s The Pedophile?
Innocence in Danger: Where’s The Pedophile is a work of art that addresses the issue of sexual harassment and child abduction. Bassam Tariq and Michael Arguello copyrighted the May 2010 commercial art. The art is a picture of countless individuals basking by and enjoying themselves in the sun by the beach. Everybody is in swimming attire and some have beach umbrellas to safeguard them from the sun. Worth noting, there is an art on the picture where one person holds a paper that is written, “you worry about losing your kids in a crowd, pedophile count on it. Take the right steps to protect your children. Talk to them about the signs of a child predator” Kempen, 53). The people are crammed together, and it is impossible to tell who many they are since they are very much congested
I find it important to think about this advertisement because I think it is important to educate the masses about child pedophiles and abductors. Child sexual harassment is not an entirely new problem; it has existed for a long time. Recently, cases of sexual predation have been on the increase with majority of abusers targeting vulnerable populations such as women and children. Children particularly are often on the receiving edge, and they suffer in silence in the hands of their abductors. Sexual pedophiles and predators tend to have a distinctive preference for abusing children and, in most cases, target minors who have not reached puberty. They prefer minors because it is often easy to build and gain their trust as they groom them for further abuse.
My analysis of this commercial is related to the course content in the sense that it touches on a critical issue about people’s lives that is bound to raise speculation. Child pedophile also touches on issues of institutional policies. Every day we hear children going missing from their home, schools or other public spaces. While some children are lucky enough to be found, some children never make it home. It begs the question of what states are doing to address child sexual harassment which is almost becoming a pandemic. It is imperative that this issue be looked into so that a solution can be found to ensure no other children are going missing anymore.
Regarding the specific spatial-temporal context in which the advertisement was produced, the art dates back to ten years ago. It was published in May 2010 by the Innocence in Danger organization. It was developed at a time when child harassment and abduction issues were at an all-time high. The Innocence in Danger organization was on a mission to raise awareness among parents about sexual predators that could be targeting their children without their knowledge and how to identify them. At the time, although child abduction cases were popular, there was a need to educate the members of the public on the matter with a focus on how children come into contact with abductors and paedophiles.
The underlying issue posed by the advertisement’s representation is that, at times parents and caregivers share the blame on children’s disappearance. The representation posits that bystanders have the responsibility and power to prevent child abductions. This series of advertisements points out that children are at most risk of abduction when they are in busy and overflowing crowds in typical location where children enjoy spending time, such as water and amusement parks. At times, the caregivers are not keen when it comes to looking after their children, and this presents a chance of abduction. When parents bring young children to public places like the beach, where there are many people and lots of distractions, it is easy to lose sight of a child. It is imperative that parents be extra careful whenever they bring their children out in public.
Law enforcers and children’s rights advocates are the groups that have access to the creation of this representation because they have interests in child welfare and have the mandate to keep children safe. By assessing the various child abduction issues that they come in contact with, they are best placed to tell who carried the most blame when it comes to this issue. Since caregivers and parents are the ones that bear primary child-care responsibilities, they carry a fair share of blame as the rest of the society (Mol, and Thalia, 426). Although child care is a personal responsibility, even members of society have the responsibility of speaking out whenever they witness a child being harassed or abducted.
The larger societal implication of this representation is that child safety is not a one-person job but rather a responsibility for everyone. In essence, the advertisement paints a picture that addressing child abduction in society requires concerted efforts. With child disappearance on the rise, parents need to be even more careful whenever they bring their children to congested public areas like beaches and amusement parks in the future. The campaign mainly targets parents since they are usually the first-hand shields and play a significant role in maintaining child safety. Additionally, the art stresses the role of security agents and other bystanders that are usually in crowded places in keeping young children safe. Essentially, the advertisement is a call-to-action to parents, guardians, caregivers and by extension, society to be more careful, stay alert and take the necessary precautions to keep their children safe.
Works Cited
Kempen, Annalise. “Spending too much time online is unhealthy for kids and can be A TOOL for child sexual predators!.” Servamus Community-based Safety and Security Magazine 114.6 (2021): 50-53.
Mol, Charlotte, and Thalia Kruger. “International child abduction and the best interests of the child: an analysis of judicial reasoning in two jurisdictions.” Journal of Private International Law 14.3 (2018): 421-454.
