The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre took down three We-Consent videos from its social media channels after criticism of one advert showing grandparents hugging grandchildren.
Jim O'Callaghan said the video was inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents and does not represent the views of the Government.
The We-Consent campaign is backed by the Department of Justice, CUAN and the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and opposition voices such as Fine Gael Senator Gareth Scahill questioned the use of public money.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) produced the advert as part of its We-Consent campaign on consent education in Ireland. It shows two grandparents hugging a young boy at the front door, while a teenage girl standing behind him looks uncomfortable as they approach her for a kiss. The clip ends with the line "Not everyone wants a hug. Even from the people who love them." Sources differ slightly on the exact wording of the closing message, so the reported lines should be read as paraphrase.
The clip drew sharp criticism online, with some commentators calling it "woke nonsense" and objecting that the campaign is funded by the Department of Justice. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, a Fianna Fáil politician whose department funds the campaign, 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.”
O'Callaghan also said that having loving grandparents in a child's life is an incredibly positive thing. Aontú leader Peader Tóibín called the advert "bonkers" on RTÉ's David McCullough programme and said the state "owes grandparents an apology". Fine Gael Senator Gareth Scahill said public money had been used for an advert that was ill-thought out and at worst offensive to older people.
The DRCC said that We-Consent is a long-term prevention campaign aimed at raising awareness and practice of consent in Ireland. The centre said it created three videos based on the principle that personal boundaries should be respected from an early age. It removed all three videos from its social media channels while it reflects on whether they are having the intended effect, and said it would not comment further until a review is complete.
“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.”
Beside the Department of Justice, the campaign is supported by the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and by CUAN, the agency for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Sources report that all three bodies were approached for comment. The DRCC's review of the videos has no set outcome in the articles.
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The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre removed three videos from its We-Consent campaign after Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan called one of them inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents. The advert, which was publicly funded, had drawn criticism online and coverage in the New York Post.
AI text based on reports by Notícias ao Minuto, Adnkronos, Stirile ProTV and other publishers. Published .