Trócaire and the BCI

In an effort to voice my disgust at the decision of BCI to ban the Trócaire ad I attempted to send an email to them. It was returned to me, undelivered, as SPAM by their Mailer-Daemon. Granted it may not be the most polished of letters, but I tried to give a sense of the outrage which I felt when I heard about their decision, but to no avail. Has anyone else had difficulty delivering their emails of protest? I enclose it here.

To whom it may concern,

I am sending this to register my outrage at the incomprehensible decision to ban the Trocaire Campaign Ad on the grounds that it is ‘political’. I am incredulous at the obvious stupidity of your position. What is political? We live in a world in which we are surrounded by ‘politics’. To give a pertinent example, our television screens regularly feature sexist ads which use the bodies of women to sell anything from cars to shampoo. But that’s ok, apparently. We now live in a society which pays lip service to the equality of women, whilst exploiting their bodies and their fears in order to sell whatever product a company wishes to flog to an increasingly brainwashed, insecure, under-informed, media saturated public. This is a political issue. For those who are even remotely aware of the nature and structure of society, which I would have assumed should include those who are responsible for the standards of broadcasting in this country, modern political analysis demonstrates that all aspects of society are ‘political’.

Legislation whose purpose is to protect the public from unwarrented political abuse, by political parties, of the national airwaves is being misused. One small aspect of this ad, which one has to be interested enough to pursue, refers to the website of Trocaire, on which the government is being asked to honour its commitment to a UN resolution which it already agreed to. Oh the shame of it! Your pettifogging small mindedness, and quixotic interpretation of the leglislation beggars belief. The gang-rape of small girls collecting firewood; the genital mutilation of girl infants and young girls; the rape and abuse of girls and women by both warring armies, and a substantial number of the UN forces supposedly there to protect them, are not trivial incidents for which we, the Irish people have no responsibility. Nor is it a case that there are two sides to the story. Or are you suggesting by your actions, that a ‘balanced view’ should be taken to take the ‘political’ out of the equation. Perhaps Trocaire should also show a few mullahs, supporting the oppression of women as lesser human beings; or interview a few child rapists to give their point of view for balance.

We live in a global village. As a nation we give generously to developing countries, unfortunately, we often give that money to the governments of those countries who support the barbaric treatment of girls and women in those countries. This is a political issue, the government decides how we donate our tax euros. How do you suggest we raise both the government and public awareness of these issues? Or is advertising only acceptable if one is flogging some useless piece of consumerist tat, no matter what abuse of women’s bodies is involved?

Finally, to paint a small picture which always occurs to me when I hear of the rape and abuse of small girls in the likes of Sudan. I do not know if you are aware of the different types of genital mutilation which are practiced in different African countries. In the Sudan they usually practice infibulation, this involves the excision of the clitoris, and the removal of both the inner and outer labia, what remains is sewn up with a match inserted to create a tiny hole to allow urine, and later menstrual flow to exit the body. After, their legs are bound together for weeks so the flesh will heal. Needless to say many die, both from the shock to the body and infection. Infection remains a problem for the rest of their lives. They often have to be cut open with a knife on their wedding night, as well as for the delivery of their children, after which they are sewn up again. Intercourse is, needless to say, extremely painful.

So the girl rape victim in Sudan suffers an extreme physical experience when raped, the pain they must suffer is beyond my comprehension. Shockingly, and unlike most First World countries, Ireland does not allow refugee status on the basis of fear of genital mutilation. But ssh! I suppose that is ‘too political’ also.

I hope you’re proud of yourselves in there, great job you’re doing protecting the unsuspecting public from being informed, or, god forbid, from putting a bit of pressure on the government to take an international ethical stand. Millions of girls and women are mutilated, raped, beaten, abused and killed every year, but let’s pretend eh? Let the government smile, smug and patronising; let’s not even ask the question of them; after all what price the lives of a few million women in an election year.

For shame,

Christine Gaffney.

The Chambers Dictionary defines the ‘ethical’ advertising as decent, honest and informative, not misleading, dishonest or unscrupulous… The Trocaire ad reaches this standard, the decision of the BCI does not.