A new phenomenon is spreading like an epidemic: Webcam Child Sex Tourism (WCST). Men from rich countries pay children in poor countries to perform sexual acts in front of webcams.

We conducted the first in-depth research into WCST. We discovered that these crimes happen tens of thousands of times each day, but before this campaign, only 6 men had been convicted. Police don't enforce existing anti-WCST laws because they wait for victims to report the crime before investigating. But kids don't report this abuse. The challenge was to pressure governments and police to stop predators before kids are hurt.

Our solution: pro-active policing.

To raise awareness, to show how easy it is to catch predators, and to pressure governments to take action, we created "Sweetie," an interactive 3D model that looks and moves like a 10-year-old girl. We used her to catch in the act 1,000 predators from 71 countries. Then we gave their dossiers to Interpol during an international press conference. We made a film about the process, translated it into 8 languages, and posted it on a designated YouTube channel. Because the predators came from so many countries, journalists everywhere found it highly newsworthy, earning us free media coverage on every continent (CNN, NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, O Globo, Allgemeine Zeitung, El Pais, etc.).

The results: 1 billion people saw the campaign. This global PR coverage and the awareness raised by our viral video and petition mobilized citizens and pressured governments to act. Governments are now taking action.

Goal: Put WCST on the global agenda and move governments to end it.

Objectives & target audiences: Generate international awareness among citizens, show predators that they will be caught, move governments to take immediate action against predators engaging in WCST.

Research: We spent months researching the legislation in 22 countries and international laws that prohibit WCST. We wrote the first in-depth (120-page) research report about WCST. And we created a list of hundreds of international press contacts at newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations, tech blogs, and wire services, to cover our story and attend the press conference.

Based on a conservative estimate, this campaign was seen by 1 billion people. It was front-page news everywhere online, so we decided to add up the viewers of the TV news programs that covered the story in the largest 20 countries, including the Chinese State Television News Channel, Brazil's El Globo, and Russian National TV programs. We also had a live TV interview on India's most-watched TV news program, and Indian journalists estimated that around 50-75 million Indians saw that show.

Because the story spread so widely and quickly, we lost track of how many online shares, views, and click-throughs it generated.

The global press coverage that this campaign earned created an enormous amount of pressure on governments around the world. While it cannot be accurately quantified, the effects and results speak for themselves. This issue is on the global agenda, predators have been arrested and victims have been rescued.

The campaign ran exactly as planned.

1) Conduct research on the scope and magnitude of WCST, the national and international laws prohibiting it (8 months). Write full report on findings (1 month).

2) Develop the 3D model application (1.5 months) and use it to identify 1,000 predators on public chat rooms (10 weeks).

3) Produce short documentary-style film for YouTube that led to an online petition for viewers to sign (10 days). The film came in several versions with subtitles in 7 different global languages to raise international awareness.

4) Prepare Terre des Hommes' YouTube channel (prior to press conference) with the film, FAQs about the project, our research report, and downloadable images for media. This page became the "resource center" for journalists to gain information, ensuring globally uniform story coverage.

5) Create press list and organize international press conference (3 months).

6) Live training sessions for international police forces.

WCST is spreading through the developing world. Terre des Hommes works in the Philippines to rescue child victims of WCST, but tens of thousands of children are being victimized every day and that number is skyrocketing.

Without widespread global awareness about WCST, no one would pressure governments to act and predators continue to hurt kids with total impunity. The challenge was to pressure governments to push police to stop predators before children are hurt.

Through earned PR coverage, we achieved international awareness among citizens AND predators, and we moved governments to act-all with a limited media budget.

To prove that our solution works, we identified 1,000 predators from 71 countries. We had to catch predators from many countries because if they were all from one region the story wouldn't spread elsewhere.

We developed a list of media contacts from all continents whom we invited to attend (or view a live stream) our press conference. We framed the pitch as an "announcement of one of the largest sex abuse cases in history," creating the frame for reporters to consider the story a "sex abuse case" rather than a PR stunt. Dozens of reporters attended the conference, interviewing experts we provided and using the information we placed on the YouTube channel. This led to uniformly accurate telling of the story. The day before the press conference, we invited Al Jazeera, BBC, and AP to have access to ensure that they could air the story immediately after our press conference.