Balenciaga is facing backlash for their new advertising campaigns. These campaigns included photos of children clutching handbags that look like teddy bears dressed in bondage gear and photos including paperwork about child pornography laws. 

Subjecting young children to mature scenery for publicity is an inhumane stunt and no settlement of money will be able to take back the pictures that were released.

Once a picture hits the internet it lives there forever, and these children will always have their faces put on these morally questionable promotions. However, what is even more questionable, is why these children’s parents allowed them to model for such an ad. 

Using paperwork about child pornography laws while having young models pose in inappropriate scenes is negligent to the very real issues of children being exploited. 

This controversy unfoldeds larger issues involving violations of child abuse laws. The Child 

Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was the legislation passed with the intention to keep children free from all forms of abuse, in this case highlighting sexual abuse. 

While these campaigns do not directly abuse the children involved, it does feature them with sexually suggestive items. Sexual abuse is defined as sexual behavior forced upon any woman, man or child without their consent.

The legal age of consent is 16, so the children involved in these campaigns had the consent placed in the hands of their guardians. It is them who made the repulsive decision that it was acceptable  for their child to be exposed to suggestive matter.

This scandal says a lot about our society; people will do anything for money even if it means exploiting innocent children.