NSPCC Launches New Animation to Help Parents Keep Children Safe from Abuse

Leading children’s charity, the NSPCC, has enlisted the help of dinosaurs to get parents talking to their children about sexual abuse.

A catchy animation, made by Aardman, creators of Morph, Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, will be launched in cinemas across the country from today (Friday 29th). A 30-second ad featuring the ‘voice of the X Factor’ Peter Dickson will be shown to promote the full version of the animation which features dinosaurs explaining how to stay safe from abuse.

The NSPCC has teamed-up with Aardman to produce the new film as part of its PANTS campaign, which has already helped over 400,000 parents talk to their children about sexual abuse since it launched three years ago. It has also led to one conviction and a number of other disclosures of abuse from children.

The film is aimed at four to eight-year-olds as talking to children about staying safe is most effective when taught at an early age. Last year a total of 10,757 offences against under-tens – 29 a day – were reported to police in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC said: “We know many parents will struggle with the idea of talking to their children about sexual abuse but it’s vital if we want our children to understand how to stay safe. Parents know it’s an important conversation to have but don’t always know how to go about it. We hope our new child-friendly and catchy animation will act as a conversation starter helping parents to address the topic of sexual abuse without using scary words or even mentioning sex.”

The NSPCC worked with Aardman Animations and music production company Adelphoi Music to create the animation and song which features pant-wearing dino character Pantosaurus. Talk PANTS is designed to teach children that their body belongs to them, they have the right to say no and to tell someone they trust if they’re ever worried about anything.

Heather Wright, Executive Producer at Aardman said; “Humour, animation and music are a great way of making it less awkward for parents and young children to talk about this very difficult subject. The song has definite ‘earworm’ potential and I’m sure children will find it funny and memorable which will in turn give them the language they need to use to protect themselves.”

The full version of the ‘Pantosaurus’ animation is available online at nspcc.org.uk/pants

For Further Information please contact 020 3772 9722; mediaoffice@nspcc.org.uk

Notes to editors:

Figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request sent from the NSPCC to the 45 police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking them for the number of reported sexual offences in 2014-15 against under 18s, and an age breakdown. Not all police forces provided age breakdowns, some provided individual ages of victims, others provided broad age ranges. So the figures for ages are a best estimate based on the information provided.

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About the NSPCC:

The NSPCC is the only children’s charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands. Using voluntary donations, which make up more than 90 per cent of our funding, we help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, we protect children at risk, and we find the best ways of preventing child abuse from ever happening. So when a child needs a helping hand, we’ll be there. When parents are finding it tough, we’ll help. When laws need to change, or governments need to do more, we won’t give up until things improve.
Our Childline service provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help. Children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk
Our free helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and support, share their concerns about a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can contact the helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0808 800 5000, by texting 88858 or visiting www.nspcc.org.uk

About Aardman:

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercial productions www.aardman.com

Credits:

Director: Lucy Izzard
Producer: Jason Fletcher – Bartholomew
Production Manager:Danny Gallagher
Storyboard / Animatic: Rob Richards
Design: Lucy Izzard, Magda Osinska
Flash Animators: Charlie Miller, Andrew Fossey, Lucy Izzard
Compositors: Jon Biggins, Bram Ttwheam
Music Production: Adelphoi Music, Max De Lucia, Ashley Bates
Editor: Dan Hembery