33 NGOs demand bans on sexist ads

JAKARTA (JP): Thirty three non-government organizations demanded yesterday advertisements insulting women's dignity be banned.

Spearheaded by the Indonesian Consumers Agency (YLKI), they lodged their petition with the Ministry of Information, the office of State Minister of Women's Roles, the advertising agencies' governing body and the mass media.

In their five-point demand, the NGOs urged the information ministry to set up an advertising controlling body comprising government and non-government organization representatives.

"The body should be truly free from conflict of interest in advertising. Membership of the existing Film Censorship body should be expanded to encompass NGOs," the petition stated.

The NGOs demand the government and the Advertising Companies Association scrap ads demeaning women, especially those portraying women as sex objects.

They said it was time the Advertising Companies Association improved its code of ethics so sexual harassment in advertising could be minimized.

The statementburged advertising producers, models and all parties involved in making advertisements to stop arguing they were exercising their artistic rights when making advertisements which were offensive to women.

Newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations have been asked to stop publishing the indecent advertisements.

The NGOs made the petition in connection with the commemoration of "No Violence against Women Day", Nov. 24.

They said women in Indonesia were subject to harassment. Women are traditionally shown in inferior positions to men and associated with domestic affairs, like raising children, cooking and serving their husbands.

Several TV advertisements portray women as sexual objects such as the commercial for the herbal medicine, Idaman.

The advertisement claims the herbal medicine restores women's youthful sexual appeal so much that husbands stop going to "meetings" every night so they can stay home with their revitalized wives.

"This particular advertisement misleadingly tells the audience that happiness in the family is determined by whether the wife is able to sexually please her husband," the NGOs said.

"Women are objects and victims of misperception formed by socio-cultural, economic and political systems dominated by men," they said.

So many commercials disrespect the marriage institution distorting gender equality, they said. (pan)