Irish government minister criticises rape crisis centre consent ad
Jim O'Callaghan described the video as "inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents".
Irish justice minister criticises rape crisis centre consent ad
The Irish minister for justice has condemned an advertisement made by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) to promote consent, describing it as "inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents".
The ad shows two grandparents eagerly hugging a young boy, while their granddaughter looks unhappy when they turn to her. It carries the line: "not everyone wants a hug. Even from the people who love them".
The ad, which has now been taken down, has drawn criticism and also gained international attention in outlets including the New York Post.
Fianna Fáil politician Jim O'Callaghan, whose department funds the campaign, said the video had been removed after engagement with the DRCC.
He said the video "does not represent the views of the Government".
"It was both inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents and has been removed by DRCC following my officials engagement with them.
"While it is vital to ensure that people understand the concept of consent when it comes to sexual relationships, this video did not advance that aim and in many ways was counterproductive."
The video formed part of a campaign called 'We-Consent', led by the DRCC.
In a statement to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the DRCC said: "We-Consent is a long-term campaign as part of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's prevention work to increase the awareness and practice of consent in Ireland.
"We created three videos premised on the idea that boundaries should be respected from an early age and to respect others' boundaries too.
"We are going to remove the videos from our social media channels while we reflect on whether they are having the positive effect we want them to have."
Along with the Department of Justice, the 'We-Consent' campaign is also backed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and CUAN (the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency).
All three have been contacted for comment.
Fine Gael Senator Gareth Scahill said the video was a misuse of resources.
"What's concerning here is public money has been used to fund an ad which at best has been ill-thought out, and at worst is offensive and potentially damaging to our older population," he said.
"The issue of consent is a very serious one and I acknowledge the important work the Rape Crisis Centre and other agencies do every day to advocate for all victims of rape and sexual violence, including children.
"But this publicly funded social media video is a million miles off the mark."
He added: "What's next? Will we need to sign consent forms at arrival halls in Dublin, Shannon, Knock and Cork airports this Christmas before we can greet family members?"