Free To Be….Unbullied from MarloThomas .com on Vimeo.

Over the last few months modelling agency Models Direct has looked at many ways in which diverse models have been getting the attention of the public. Whether they are male models, female models, plus-size models, mature models, teen models, child models or even baby models, these people sell us products and raise awareness around various issues every day – and sometimes the message that they bring is especially important.

The latest advertisement involving child models to have really affected some of us at the Models Direct offices is the one shown above. This video was shared by Marlo Thomas, along with an article released on Monday 31st October entitled, ‘What Your Kids Might Not Be Telling You’. It seems that she and the Free to Be Foundation will be joining forces with the Ad Council, the Department of Education, AOL and Facebook to develop a new national public service advertising campaign intended to raise awareness of the extent of the problems that bullying can cause. The campaign will aim to educate parents about the signs of bullying and to arm them with the tools they need to help prevent it.

The video not only features child models representing everyday children at play but also truly heartbreaking footage showing the stories of real children who have been so overwhelmed by problems related to bullying that they have taken their own lives. It is terrifying that children are being affected in this way, and with Anti-Bullying week coming up Models Direct thought it an important topic to raise.

Bullying is very common, most of us will know someone who has been bullied or will have experienced bullying themselves at some point in their lives. It is a serious problem, and campaigns like this one are designed to let people know that they can do something about it. Ultimately, they have the potential to save lives.

President & CEO of the Ad Council Peggy Conlon says: “Sadly, bullying is incredibly prevalent and, as we have all seen, the impact of these incidents can be devastating to our children. We know that targeted and consistent communications can change behaviors regarding a multitude of issues, and we believe this campaign has the potential to have the same impact as our Gay and Lesbian Bullying Prevention campaign has had on teens using the phrase ‘that’s so gay.'” She goes on to explain: “Parents are an important part of the equation and we want to help them proactively communicate with their children about bullying. We’re grateful to AOL and Facebook for their support and hope that others will join this collaborative effort.”

According to statistics compiled by the NSPCC in December 2007, 31% of children questioned had experienced bullying by their peers during childhood, a further 7% were discriminated against and 14% had been made to feel different or ‘like an outsider’. Around a third of boys (35%) and a quarter of girls (26%) admitted they had bullied other children ‘a little’ and/or ‘a lot’, and over half (54%) of both primary and secondary school children thought that bullying was ‘a big problem’ or ‘quite a big problem’ in their school.

Anti-Bullying week is November 14th – November 18th and there are lots of ways that you can get involved. Please visit www.bullying.co.uk/anti-bullying-week or www.stopbullying.gov for more information.