TOUCH ME NOT

TitleTOUCH ME NOT
BrandPARINAAM FOUNDATION
Product / ServiceNOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANISATION THAT PROVIDES HOLISTIC SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN.
CategoryD05. Spatial & Sculptural Exhibitions and Experiences
EntrantMcCANN INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Idea Creation McCANN INDIA Mumbai, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
PRASOON JOSHI MCCANN WORLDGROUP Chief Creative Officer
ASHISH CHAKRAVARTY MCCANN WORLDGROUP National Creative Director
PUNEET KAPOOR MCCANN WORLDGROUP Executive Creative Director
DILEEP ASHOKA MCCANN WORLDGROUP Account Director
RATHISH P SUBRAMANIAM MCCANN WORLDGROUP Creative Director
VAISHALI RAO MCCANN WORLDGROUP Copywriter

Background

Sexual abuse crimes against children have been on a steady rise in India. Educating children is the only way we can protect them from such crimes. But, while we know what we want to teach, how we do it, is still a question. Because in the innocent minds of children, it is hard to differentiate between acts of love and acts of abuse. Another obstacle we face is, how do we grab the children’s attention and hold it long enough to teach them about this complex topic? Our goal was to kill both birds with one stone. Find a simple and yet effective tool that interests the children during the lesson, while also not leaving a hint of a doubt about what is sexual abuse. It was also imperative to keep the budget economical so that this solution could be easily implemented across the nation.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Create a natural and more engaging way to teach children about Safe Touch and Unsafe Touch, which is specially designed by keeping children and their learning habits at the center. Our target audience was children between the ages of 5 and 11, who are most vulnerable to such abuse.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We created topiaries of a small boy and a small girl made from real and life-like replicas of touch-me-not plants (Mimosa Pudica). Most of the body, which represent Safe Touch, were made from replicas of the touch-me-not plant. But the body parts that represent Unsafe Touch - the chest, the part between their legs and the bottom, were made from real touch-me-not plants, whose leaves immediately closed when touched. The topiaries became part of sexual abuse awareness workshops in government schools across the city, where the children could interact with the them. We chose the touch-me-not plant as our main component because of its mechanosensory responsive properties, and the topiaries were created in about 3 months. Design process included sketching, modelling, clay sculpting, POP moulding, metal wire framing of the sculptures. We also replicated the real plant, followed by wrapping on the sculpture and healing of the same.

List the results (20% of vote)

The children ran their hands over the 'Unsafe' body parts of the topiaries and saw the leaves immediately closing. This created a greater impact of showing that this form of physical contact should not be allowed. The stark visual demonstration also ensured that they remember this lesson well into the future. Learning this lesson from the topiaries close to their age created a strong bond and trust, because of which they were more receptive to listening. This unconventional method of teaching brought attention to the problem of sexual abuse crimes. It also opened up conversations about integrating these lessons at early stages of child development.