Shoppers of a nervous disposition are recommended to steel themselves for a shock when they rummage through the frozen food section at some major French supermarkets. In amongst the frozen peas, they are quite likely to come across a baby.

It quickly becomes apparent however that the child is not real but made of plastic, part of an enterprising campaign to increase awareness of the French national child abuse number, 119. The line is intended to be available for young women who have an unwanted pregnancy but few appreciate that this is the number they should ring.

Supermarkets are far from enthusiastic about the campaign but because the plastic babies are small and wrapped in bags, the campaigners have found it easy to plant them undetected.

From our December 2007 e-newsletter