All children are supposed to be born the same, with the exact same opportunities, but we as adults know that this is far from the case. And while we may lament that, do we need to take a step back and look at how we apply this rule in our own lives?
It certainly seems to be the case, if the latest video from children’s charity UNICEF is anything to go by.
The video, part of the charity’s 2016 State of the World’s Children Report, documents a social experiment carried out to shine a light on how we treat the world’s least fortunate children in compared to its luckier ones.
In this experiment, a six-year-old actress named Anano was sent into Tbilisi, Georgia, to play the roles of a ‘rich’ girl and a ‘poor’ girl.
First, a well-dressed Anano stood in the middle of the street and waited for people’s reactions. It didn’t take long for people to approach her, engage her in conversation, and check to see if she is okay.
Anano’s appearance was then changed to make her look dishevelled, and she waited for the same response – but it didn’t come. Indeed, in the footage included in the video, Anano was not approached by any concerned members of the public.
The experiment was then switched to a different setting – a restaurant, and when ‘rich’ Anano walked in, she successfully charmed each patron she met.
However, when she returns as the ‘poor’ girl, the reaction was shockingly different. She was ignored and pushed away, with one man even calling on management to remove her.
It’s not surprising to discover that Anano actually abandoned the experiment, as she was too upset by the treatment she received as the ‘poor’ girl.
The message of the experiment and the organisation’s new campaign is clear: the less fortunate children in our society need our help, and change can only come from our decision to care.
Let’s hope that this powerful video will encourage others to change their judgmental ways.
