Global Advocacy: Expanding the 'Empty Beds' Campaign to Japan
Project: Voice & Dignity | Location: Tokyo | Reach: 3.24 Million
On the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Bird of Light Ukraine executed a strategic expansion of our advocacy mission. We brought the "Empty Beds" exhibition to Tokyo, opening a new front in the fight for the 19,546 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
This was not merely an art exhibition; it was a targeted campaign of cultural diplomacy designed to awaken a massive, non-European audience to the reality of the war.
Strategic Resonance: Connecting Shared Trauma Our strategy for Japan was built on historical resonance. We understood that the Japanese public carries a deep national scar regarding abductions (specifically by North Korea). By framing the Ukrainian crisis through this lens of "stolen children," we unlocked a profound level of empathy and solidarity that standard geopolitical news coverage had failed to achieve.
Primary Witness Testimony To drive the message home, we featured Rostislav Lavrov, a 16-year-old survivor of Russian abduction and forced Russification.
The Voice of Experience: Rostislav, who has previously testified before the U.S. Congress, provided irrefutable firsthand testimony to the Tokyo audience. His presence transformed abstract statistics into undeniable reality.
Direct Engagement: We complemented his testimony with the launch of a Japanese-language photobook, distributing these stories into high-traffic community hubs—kindergartens, public spaces, and cultural centers—to ensure the narrative penetrated daily life.
Media Impact & ROI The campaign successfully captured the national conversation.
Broadcast Reach: The event was covered on NHK Prime Time News, placing the issue of Ukrainian child abductions in front of millions of households.
Print Dominance: Featured in four major national newspapers, the total estimated reach of the campaign exceeded 3.24 million people.
We proved that the story of Ukraine’s stolen children is not just a European issue—it is a universal human rights crisis that demands a global response.
