In an advertisement calling for greater control over the global arms trade, Amnesty International has cast a former child soldier in place of a child model. Talent and modelling agency Talent Management has just seen the hard-hitting advertisement (shown below) which was created by M&C Saatchi Sydney.

The campaign is intended to put pressure on the United Nations prior to the negotiation of a global arms trade treaty in July – which is hoped to end arms abuses. The campaign includes Facebook ads and an interactive petition allowing users to sign and create a ‘Path to Freedom’ for a child soldier to escape through.

M&C Saatchi’s executive creative director Ben Welsh has been quoted as saying: “The digital petition is a labour of love and the perfect example of brutal simplicity. The site has only been live a matter of weeks and we are already nearly halfway to the target of 20,000 signatures with one month to go.”

Amnesty International Australia’s marketing manager Katie Hart stated: “When one person is killed every minute in armed conflict, it is clear that world’s weapons must be kept out of the wrong hands.”

You can sign the petition here