Track: Professional
Team: Nonstopcollective
Brief D: report exploitation earlier

 

About No Minor Thing

What can designers do to help combat sexual exploitation of children? That is the question posed by WDCD in collaboration with the Dutch Public Prosecutions Service (OM) and the Ministry of Justice & Security in an invitation-only design challenge.

In No Minor Thing: The What Design Can Do Challenge to Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children, selected design teams had the opportunity to come up with new ways of tackling this issue. Read more on the results of the project and approach of nonstopcollective.

About the shocking truth

Sexual exploitation of young people is an urgent issue. Nevertheless, we still face two persistent problems: on the one hand, a lack of awareness and ability to spot important signs; on the other, the fact that making a report is too complicated.
We will blow the dust off of this issue with a shocking campaign. The fictitious site www.scholierensekswerk.nl will lead to a new platform where the threshold for reporting will be eliminated as far as possible through service design. More reports mean more cases will be taken on, more perpetrators taken off the streets and more victims helped. Or even better, prevented from becoming victims in the first place.


Read more on this project on the No minor thing platform >


What was it like to participate in No Minor Thing?

Working on this complex project inspired us in many ways. We chose a method in which we use commercial knowledge to create social impact. This, after extensive research, analysis and discussion, resulted in two projects. For the first project we ended up completely out of our comfort zone: developing a game to help immigrants become less vulnerable for sexual exploitation. In the second concept, we put on our marketing binoculars to evaluate the instruments currently used around this social problem. Our conclusions were simple. There’s too little information and awareness around the problem, and reporting suspicions or crimes is too complicated.’

Complex social issues as sexuality, respect and power are not really talked about and are misunderstood. In that sense there is a lot of improvement possible for families and schools.’

While working on this project, what has caught you by surprise the most?

We were most surprised by the big taboo surrounding this subject. This isolates the problem and creates difficulty in finding a solution. Complex social issues as sexuality, respect and power are not really talked about and are misunderstood. In that sense there is a lot of improvement possible for families and schools.’

 

What role do you attribute to design when it comes to this type of social issue?

Traditionally, designers are a binding link between producer and consumer. They understand both worlds and because of that speak the language of the policy makers and the market. This position is of great value in finding solutions for social problems and in the translation of ideas. In this sense the designer is the perfect mediator. Furthermore, designers think in solutions, without being hold back by bureaucracy, policy and rules. This optimistic mentality and determination creates the right mindset for finding new ideas.’

Do you intend to continue the project once the challenge is over?

Absolutely. Because of this process we’ve become involved and convinced we can make a difference. It doesn’t suit our style to present an idea and leave it to be. We want to see results and are willing to do what’s needed to get there.’


Want to know more about No Minor Thing? Go to the PLATFORM>


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