Sometime ago I wrote about how by campaigning and complaining responsibly, rationally
and without being too inflammatory (albeit I know it can be hard) will bear fruit. Also
campaigning using the language of equality, using hard facts and ensuring support from women are other key success factors.
Tonight, via friends from the UKFRM Yahoo Group I was emailed the news that Sean Geoghegan has secured a brilliant success against the NSPCC.
This Christmas they have been running a campaign that states "All I want for Christmas is daddy to stop hitting me".
This is despite the fact that their own figures (in a post by the ManKind Initiative chairman on the group) show that mothers are more likely to be the perpetrators of violence against their children, especially so against their daughters. We have also shown the way the NSPCC ignores their own figures here before. The NSPCC campaign was only aimed at abuse fathers not mothers (or mothers and fathers).
The NSPCC (who have form as we know in not telling the whole story - see NSPCC letter in News Update) had got tetchy when they received complaints and issued this statement.
Now they have capitulated completely and withdrawn the ad in an email to Sean.
We are always grateful for feedback on our campaigns and the one you're referring to has generated some interesting points for consideration. There has been much discussion about the `All I want for Christmas…' adverts and, on reflection, we have decided to discontinue these specific adverts but
continue with others such as those for our `Letter from Santa' product.
The NSPCC firmly believes that gender bias plays no part in preventing cruelty to children and we have always said that men and women are both capable of cruelty to children. And of course both parents are equally important in protecting children and giving them a happy and healthy upbringing. The NSPCC works with both fathers and mothers who are struggling with a range of problems, through our family support and parenting services http://bit.ly/11FMVf9.
We really appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your feelings about this campaign. It would be sad to think that we have offended anyone through an activity which was only ever intended to improve the lives of vulnerable children around the UK.
I hope that our removal of this campaign helps to reaffirm our impartiality when it comes to gender and our support of the positive roles both fathers and mothers can play in children's lives.
This is a significant victory not just in itself, but also in setting a precedent, within both the NSPCC and other organisations who wish to demonise men/fathers. Especially so when their own figures do not stack up.
One issue remains of course is their whole thought process in terms of deciding to run such a one-sided ad which actually went against their own evidence. Institutional sexism is the only conclusion.
Sean and those others that complained in the right spirit have secured a landmark victory and all fathers (and all those who support fathers) should be grateful to them.
Posted by Skimmington
Recent Comments