Ministry Apologizes Over ‘Sexist’ Ad Teaching Women To Avoid Abuse In Lockdown
Image via moonnoor / Shutterstock.com
A campaign created by the Malaysian government to stop domestic violence was pulled after drawing ire from the public.
The ads offered tips on how couples could avoid physical abuse during the COVID-19 lockdown. Titled #WomenPreventCOVID19, the campaign posters were aimed at females and recommended ways for them to behave during the quarantine.
One poster advised women to put on makeup and dress neatly while working from home. Another suggested for women to keep their kitchens clean so as to maintain a clear mind during the lockdown. The campaign also advised women to avoid “nagging their husbands” and imitated the voice of Doraemon, a popular anime robot cat from Japan.
The campaign was heavily criticized, and many accused the Malaysian government of perpetuating sexism. It was quickly pulled and the ministry’s women development department apologized for the “tone-deaf” ad.
“We apologize if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties,” the department said. All Women’s Action Society manager Nisha Sabanayagam said that the posters “promote the concept of gender inequality and perpetuate the concept of patriarchy.” “It is extremely condescending both to women and men,” Sabanayagam elaborated.
While dressing up to work is one way of maintaining discipline and a routine while working from home, the focus on LOOKS, DRESS, and MAKEUP is absolutely unnecessary.
— All Women’s Action Society (@AWAMMalaysia) March 31, 2020
Stop this sexist messaging @KPWKM and focus on #domesticviolence survivors who are at higher risk now! https://t.co/mU7nBqbkgk
I may not be a woman, but I deem that kinda message to be quite insulting, especially coming from the ministry.
— R (@motus2711) March 31, 2020
How did we go from preventing baby dumping, fighting domestic violence to some sad variant of the Obedient Wives Club? https://t.co/1SrVYp0e5d
— Yin Shao Loong (@yinshaoloong) March 31, 2020
[via CNN, opening image via Facebook]
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