The video, titled “Most Shocking Second a Day” video, is shown from the perspective of a young British girl as she goes through her life, starting at a birthday and following her through school. As the “seconds” go on, the situation starts to deteriorate, and drastically.
The video illustrates a problem that many suffer from—not taking issues in far-off places as seriously because it is, as the cliché says, “out of sight, out of mind.” As Digital Journal has previously said in an opinion piece, Syria’s children could very well be lost to human apathy. Seeing a British girl experiencing the same horrors Syria’s children do could finally help people put the serious issue into perspective.
According to the Independent, so far 10,000 children have died as a result of the Syrian civil war, and some 2.3 million people have become refugees.
“We hope the video will resonate with members of the public, particularly those who don’t know much about the situation in Syria so they can really understand the plight of innocent Syrian children. said Jake Lundi, Director of Brand and Communications at Save the Children. “The message to the public is just because it’s not happening here, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”
As with previous PSAs, how Save the Children has chosen to show its message could be a little controversial. Slate suggests that the video is “more baldly manipulative than it needs to be,” but ultimately thinks that if it leads to people donating to a worthy cause, it may ultimately be worth it.
