The picture is a dark image of a young boy with a bruised face. The left eye of the boy is swollen with bruises showing signs of abuse. Furthermore, the image has a caption stating “he has his mother’s eyes.” The boy in the image has a gloomy face showing sadness. The picture has a dark theme with only the face of the boy being visible. Besides, the image urges the audience to report abuse to the undersigned website. However, the picture does not have any symbols associated with or targeting a specific group in society.

The target audience of the advert is primarily children and women facing physical abuse. In many families, children and women are the frequent victims of domestic violence (Straus 403). The violence includes psychological, verbal and physical abuse. The image shows a child who has physical injuries on the face resulting from abuse. However, the image represents only the children group in society. The photograph has a complementary statement noting the beauty of the child’s eyes. The aim is to encourage people to report the abuse of children. In this regard, the statement also aims to discourage the abusers from committing such injustices on children. Therefore, the target audience for the photograph is both children and women facing abuse in the society as well as individuals who abuse them.

The Amnesty advertisement urging people to report abuse violates the gender norms of the society. The ad portrays an image of a boy who has the looks of a girl. Moreover, the comment on the picture is feminist relating the boy’s eyes to his mother’s. The violation of gender norms aims to appeal to an often-ignored group in society such as children. Children do not often report cases of abuse since most of the abusers are their parents or relatives. The content of the article is “doing gender” through associating specific aspects of the picture such as the boy’s eyes with the female gender. The material attempts to resolve the issues of gender inequality. Relating a boys eyes with the mothers shows equality among the two genders (Straus 403). Specifically, it promotes equal treatment to both boys and girls since they are all beautiful.

The purpose of the content on the advert is to inspire inclusivity and fair treatment of children. The boy in the image has gone through mistreatment and abuse resulting in the physical injuries on his face. The portrait has a link at the left bottom corner where individuals can report cases of child abuse. Thus, the image is a representation of the unfairness to children. The content does not, however, target any specific gender. The comment on the picture that the boy has his mother’s eyes shows the inclusivity of both genders.  Moreover, the statement asserts the beauty of children and their resemblance to their parents. It is, therefore, a motivation to encourage parents to avoid abusing their children and report incidences when children are mistreated. Besides, the boy in the image has the looks of a girl implying that the content of the advert focuses on both genders.

The use of the material in the advertisement is not ethical. The content includes the image of a child who has been abused. Revealing the identity of children who have undergone abuse publicly in violation of their rights. The producer of the material in the advert is however not abusing their power. Using such images in adverts is legal. However, despite the depictions being gender biased, they positively affect society. The image discourages the recurring behavior of child abuse in society. Besides, it encourages members of the community to report such incidences to the authorities. The picture and the comments show the actual events happening in society. The content is therefore transparent since incidences of abuse often go unreported.

Solving gender inequality or gender issues is a big challenge due to the many behaviors associated with one gender (Buchanan 323). However, in the case of the content in the advert, the problem of gender inequality can be solved by sensitizing the society on how recurring behaviors do not depict gender characteristics. Also, gender inequality in the content can be addressed by ensuring that producers of materials generalize children to avoid gender bias (Straus 420). Similarly, minimal use of colorful themes can help eliminate the association of certain adverts with a specific gender.

In conclusion, the theme of the image, as well as the comments, depict gender issues in the advert. The picture is an image of a boy who has the looks of a girl. Moreover, the image has a feminist comment showing the resemblance between the boy’s eyes and those of his mother. The picture aims to encourage society to stop abusing children and report cases of child abuse to authorities. However, the problem of gender inequality can be solved through sensitization to the community. Similarly, organizations need to avoid targeting specific social groups such as a particular gender in their adverts.

Works Cited

Buchanan, Tom. “Aggressive priming online: Facebook adverts can prime aggressive cognitions.” Computers in human behavior 48 (2015): 323-330. http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/15184/1/Buchanan_2015_accepted_author_manuscript.pdf

Straus, Murray A. “Ordinary violence, child abuse, and wife beating: What do they have in common?” Physical violence in American families. Routledge, 2017. 403-424. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351499699/chapters/10.4324/9781315126401-29