Most people wouldn't hesitate to help a lost child. But often the same can't be said when that child is homeless. This was borne out by a recent Unicef advert in which the UN organisation conducted a social experiment to see how people treated a lost girl once her appearance changed. The advert shows a neatly dressed six-year-old actress named only as Anano alone on the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia.Hidden cameras show people stopping to ask the girl if she is lost and offering to help her find her parents. She later wanders around in a restaurant and garners similar helpful reactions from patrons.When the same actress is dressed to look homeless and stands in the same spot she is ignored. Back at the restaurant Anano is physically shunned by one customer and another asks a waiter to remove her. The little girl runs out of the restaurant in tears and, according to Unicef, the experiment had to be stopped because she had become too upset.The advert, which was released yesterday, has had more than 2.4million views on Unicef's Facebook page and almost 70,000 views on YouTube.Shaheda Omar of the Teddy Bear Clinic for abused children said though the advert was "very effective", it also left her stricken with grief and disappointment."It shows that although the actress was role-playing it had an impact on her. This shows that rejection is very powerful and soul-destroying, which is what the girl was experiencing," Omar said.The experiment is part of Unicef's #FightUnfair campaign aimed at creating awareness and government accountability for ensuring a better future for children. The organisation believes investing in the poorest children not only improves their lives but ultimately breaks the cycle of poverty.Omar added that this "repulsion" of homeless people and children was prevalent in South Africa, where she noted that children begging on the street often evoked rejection as opposed to compassion."The advert feeds into the stereotype where prominence and recognition is given to affluence, and poverty is rejected and hidden. It's the idea that poor is dirty and for children; this rejection is crushing and destructive and completely erodes their self-esteem," she said...