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While some innovations such as the Colombian Kid Rescue app call on adults to flag instances of child abuse in public, it can be down to the child to speak up when it takes place in private. With this in mind, Mexico’s ANAR Foundation developed an ad that uses lenticular printing technology to display encouraging messages to children that adults can’t read.

Displayed in public locations, the advertisement comprised of two different images printed on a ridged surface. One image showed the face of a typical child with text reading: “Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” As this was printed only on the ridges facing upwards, the image was the one that adults saw. On the ridges facing downwards, the same image with added injuries was shown alongside alternative text reading: “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you.” This side also included the helpline number for the ANAR Foundation and was only visible to those viewing the ad from an upwards angle – children. Since child abuse is often carried out by adults that know the victim, the ad provided a way to get vital information to children without their abuser knowing. The video below explains more about how the campaign worked:

While the ANAR Foundation’s application of lenticular displays could help prevent child abuse, are there other – perhaps more light-hearted – ways that the printing technology could be used to aim messages at different audiences?