The child abuse ad only kids can see (+video)

A Spanish organisation that aims to combat child abuse has designed an ad that displays different messages for adults and children. When an adult looks at the ad by the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation they see a picture of a healthy looking child and the message: “Sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” While anyone smaller than five feet sees bruises on the child’s face and the message: “if somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you”.

A billboard designed to help victims of child abuse has been created in Spain using an optical illusion that will show children a "secret", different message to the ones adults see.

International non-profit agency Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk (ANAR) have been working alongside a Spanish advertising agency to create the billboard, which is printed using technology to create an illusion of depth that changes depending on the angle it is viewed from.

Launched in response to International Day against Child Abuse, the foundation says the message is for those suffering "any kind of abuse".

Adults looking at the billboard will simply see a child's face with the words "Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it."

Children, on the other hand, will see from their lower point of view the same face, but badly bruised and accompanied with the message "If somebody hurts you, phone us and we'll help you," along with the foundation's phone number.

Only people under the height of 132cm will be able to see this version of the billboard.

ANAR hopes to not only raise awareness about the problem of child abuse, but to actually offer help to young people who need it.

"[It's] a message exclusively for them, hidden from adults' eyes," says the campaign video.

- nzherald.co.nz