Rape Crisis Network criticises ‘misogynistic’ anti-drinking ad

The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland has called for the immediate withdrawal of an advertisement aimed at raising awareness of alcohol abuse.

The network says the ad from the Stop Out-of-Control Drinking campaign and published in a national newspaper today, is “misogynistic” and promotes the idea that women who drink are “asking” to be physically and sexually assaulted.

The campaign however rejects the assertion by the RCNI, saying it has ”wildly misunderstood” the advertisement.

The ad depicts a young woman who has returned from a night out, sitting at the end of her bed. Another female dressed in a dressing gown and with a short-cut hairstyle, is looking on from the bedroom door. The young woman in the foreground looks dishevelled with her make-up streaked on her face. The tagline says: “Who’s following in your footsteps? Out-of-control drinking has consequences.”

Clíona Saidléar, RCNI Director, said the implication of the ad was clear.

“The young girl has been attacked on her way home. The message is it’s her fault for being drunk and what is more it is also her mother’s fault for her own drinking habits.”

She said the ad was “targeting women with shame in way that endangers them”.

“The belief that drunk girls, or even girls that have a few drinks in a social setting, are ‘asking for it’ is lazy cultural belief that needs to be strongly challenged. She said the ad implied not only ‘blamed’ the victim in this case, but her mother too.

"This is a harmful, regressive and hurtful message which targets the vulnerable. This is utterly unacceptable and RCNI demand that Diageo remove these offending advertisements immediately. We ask all papers and commercial platforms carrying this ad to take it down and refuse to run such dangerous cultural messages of rape victim blaming.'

A spokesman for the ‘Stop Out-of-Control Drinking’ campaign however said the other female in the ad is meant to be the woman’s younger sister.

"The ad in today's Independent depicts an older sister who has returned home after a night of clearly excessive drinking, who is being watched by her younger sister.

“This image may be provocative, and is intended to be. It has however been wildly misunderstood and misinterpreted by the director of the Rape Crisis Network, who has made a series of completely inaccurate claims about the content of the ad.

“Nobody associated with this campaign would tolerate for a minute the inference that victims of sexual assault are ever to blame. Many of us have worked with the victims of abuse and assault over many years, and would never allow any untrue inference of that kind. It is an entirely unworthy assertion, based on a misinterpretation.”

The 'Stop Out-of-Control Drinking' campaign has received negative coverage since it was first unveiled a month ago. Though supported by such groups as Barnardos, St Patrick's mental health services and Dublin City University, its bona fides has been questioned as it is financed by drinks multinational Diageo.

Earlier this week it emerged the campaign was using the services of a British lobby group, Goddard Global which has also worked for an alliance lobbying against EU directives aimed at combating the tobacco industry. The Common Sense Alliance was funded by British American Tobacco.