Poverty adverts provoke protests

Hundreds of people have complained to the Advertising Standards
Authority about a Barnardo’s advertising campaign that features a
cockroach crawling out of a baby’s mouth.

The advertisements, which first appeared last week and are part of
a campaign to end child poverty, have prompted a flood of
objections (news, page 8, 13 November).

To date, 251 complaints have been made via the ASA’s website and
the total number made by other means is still being calculated. The
advertising watchdog has now written to the charity and will make a
decision within the next few weeks as to whether the advertisements
should be withdrawn.

Barnardo’s defended the campaign, arguing that the reality of
poverty was more shocking than the images – generated on a
computer.

Children’s charity Spurgeon’s Child Care described the adverts as
“unhelpful”. “In reality these appalling adverts will do nothing to
educate people about the real challenges that families living in
poverty face,” said Andy Jaeger, head of fundraising and marketing.