NEW YORK (June 22, 2022) тАФ The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is thrilled to announce that our organization has won a Bronze Lion in the Outdoor Not-for-Profit/Charity/Government category at the 2022 Cannes Lions Awards for our Uyghur forced labor poster campaign initiated last summer. The Cannes Lions Awards are recognized as one of the most prestigious global awards in creative excellence.
According to the Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region, тАЬvirtually the entire apparel industry is tainted.тАЭ In order to help the public understand this uncomfortable truth, HRF partnered with TAXI, a creative agency based in Canada, to spearhead a guerilla poster campaign throughout New York City. Mimicking a viral fashion marketing campaign, the posters showed blue prison uniforms тАФ similar to those worn by over a million Uyghurs arbitrarily detained in concentration camps and forced labor facilities across China тАФ and a QR code, which directed people to a site to learn more about Uyghur forced labor.
тАЬWe are excited to see the creative industry acknowledging the pressing issue of Uyghur forced labor,тАЭ said HRF President C├йline Boustani. тАЬWe hope this award will further shine a spotlight on the genocide perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. Our efforts will continue to bring the importance of human rights to the attention of global audiences.тАЭ In addition to winning this recent Bronze Lion, the campaign has been recognized by the Luum Awards, the Anthem Awards, the D&AD Awards and the One Show Awards, among others.
Through HRFтАЩs Wear Your Values program, HRF seeks to educate consumers on the intersection of human rights and the fashion industry and promote supply chain transparency in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. Recently, to help raise further awareness about the fashion industryтАЩs widespread use of Uyghur forced labor, HRF launched a Google Chrome extension plug-in, the Uyghur Forced Labor Checker, informing consumers whether the brand they are shopping from has publicly committed to fully disengaging with Uyghur forced labor. In April, HRFтАЩs plug-in won The Webby PeopleтАЩs Voice Award in the Public Service & Activism: Advertising, Media & PR category and The Webby Award in the Web Services & Applications: Websites and Mobile Sites category in the 26th annual Webby Awards.