stop
demand

A call for action to stop sexual violence against children.

11 July 2006 Media Release

SPCA campaign trivialises child sex abuse

An SPCA campaign claiming that “a sexual offender has moved into [your] neighbourhood” and “has violated females as young as 5 months old” has come under fire by Stop Demand Foundation, an organisation that calls for action to stop sexual violence against children.

Stop Demand’s Denise Ritchie says “To use the rape of baby girls as an attention-grabbing stunt for de-sexing pets, and the offensive play on the words ‘kitty-fiddling’, shows an extraordinary lack of insight and sensitivity by an organisation that many in the community hold in high regard.”

Stop Demand points to New Zealand’s ‘shocking’ record of sexual violence and Government statistics that show that 78% of all sex crimes in this country are committed against children.

SPCA’s Bob Kerridge claims that there was no intention to offend and defends the poster as a means of “drawing people’s attention” to the issue of desexing pets.

But Denise Ritchie says “Stop Demand’s call for action to stop sexual violence is frequently hampered by a disturbing lack of insight into the harm and long-term damage sex abuse can have on victims. The trivialisation found within this campaign and the light-hearted banter around ‘kitty-fiddling’ can be likened to the telling of rape jokes. There is nothing remotely amusing about sexual violence.”

Stop Demand will be asking the SPCA to withdraw the posters. It encourages anyone who finds the posters offensive to take action, contact the SPCA, express disapproval and ask that the posters be withdrawn.

ENDS

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