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The crying carpet

MUMBAI, INDIAN: The arts and crafts industry in India employs 60 million children. Starved, tortured and abused, consumers are often unaware of the treatment to which these children are subjected.

29 Nov 2010

Charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) decided that shoppers should understand the provenance of their purchases and so employed McCann Worldgroup, which produced 'The Crying Carpet'.

A team of skilled artisans were gathered to design a carpet with suffering children in mind. A pressure sensitive sound chip was inserted and the carpets were placed in malls. This meant that when people walked over them, they heard children cry. A floor sticker also led them on to a microsite to sign the petition.

To gather petitioners to support the campaign, Save the Childhood Movement installed the carpets in several malls, exhibitions and public spaces where they would be trampled.

Results

More than 41 781 petitioners, Labour minister Mangat Ram Singal and several members of parliament joined the movement. Rescue operations have stepped up and 1431 children were rescued and reunited with their families.