Cotton On Needs To ‘Cotton On’

Retail chain, Cotton On needs to rethink the selling of offensive baby wear in New Zealand, states the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ).

NCWNZ will be calling for a nation-wide boycott of all Cotton On stores if Cotton On does not immediately announce publicly that this line of baby wear will be removed from New Zealand shelves.

“This retailer has had extensive media coverage in New Zealand and Australia,” said Elizabeth Bang, NCWNZ National President, “but we believe there are no circumstances where the sexualisation of children, or in this case, babies, is considered a joke”.

NCWNZ has begun work on a campaign, which is building on an existing base of evidence and international connections.

“Exploiting and sexualising kiwi babies for profit does not sit well with us and we will not hesitate to utilise our national and regional structure to influence Cotton On’s decision”, says Elizabeth Bang.

The National Council of Women has over four hundred groups and organisations affiliated at a regional and national level. Via these affiliates, an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 women can be reached.

“During a time of economic recession it is the consumer who decides which companies stay afloat or not,” says Elizabeth Bang, “therefore it is even more important than usual that we, the consumers, make the right choices.”

"Women Influencing Policy"

• In 2007 the National Council of Women of New Zealand passed unanimously a resolution which opposes the sexualisation of children through production, marketing and retailing of children’s products.

• NCWNZ has submitted a resolution to the International Council of Women (ICW) regarding the sexualisation of children, which will be considered at the ICW-CIF General Assembly this October 2009.

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