The cultural sanctioning of violence against women
“Violence against women isn’t an anomaly; it is the natural manifestation of a culture in which women are regarded as inferior to men, as objects of sexual recreation and entertainment.”
Read moreCross ‘em off your Christmas List: Corporate Sexploitation Offenders of 2020
They don’t deserve your Christmas dollar: Give these companies a miss this year!
Read moreOur best year ever! Wins and highlights of 2019
What a year! Our team is tired...but elated. This year has seen us achieve some of our biggest wins in our 10-year history: and you helped us do it.
Read moreCross' em off your Christmas list
Corporate Sexploitation Offenders of 2019
Give these sexist companies a miss this Christmas!
Read moreSubmission to AANA Code of Ethics Review
Collective Shout calls for stronger ad code of ethics to rein in harmful sexist advertising
Collective Shout has made a submission to the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics Review. In this long-needed review, we highlighted the failings of the advertising self-regulatory system and the weaknesses of the existing Code. We also documented the growing body of evidence demonstrating the real-life harms of sexually objectifying portrayals of women.
Read moreVictoria introduces legislation to deregister sexist Wicked Campers
The Victorian Government has introduced new legislation that will force vehicle owners displaying offensive images or slogans to remove them or face being deregistered.
Under the legislation, any Victorian registered vehicle that displays sexist, obscene or offensive slogans can be referred to the Ad Standards Community Panel, which will review it against the Australian Association of National Advertisers Code of Ethics.
If the Panel finds the ad breaches the code, then the image/slogan must be removed – or the vehicle’s registration will be cancelled.
Once passed, Victorian law will be consistent with laws already in operation in Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT, and help get vehicles displaying sexist, offensive or obscene slogans off our roads.
Minister for Roads Jaala Pulford said:
Read more“There is no excuse for displaying vile, sexist or offensive messages on vehicles which is why we’re taking this action to take those vehicles off our roads.”
“I encourage anyone who sees a vehicle with sexist or offence slogans to report it to the Department of Transport to help deliver the message that these vehicles are not welcome on Victorian roads.”
Self-regulated advertising: How many more examples of failure do we need?
Recently, I lodged a complaint with Ad Standards. Using its online complaint form, I reported a larger-than-life, porn-themed advertisement on display in my local shopping centre in Perth, WA. A week later, I received a notice from Ad Standards advising that while the ad was of concern to me, the Community Panel Chair considered that is was “an image of a woman in lingerie”, and that my complaint was of the type that has been “consistently dismissed” by the Community Panel.
Read moreA Wicked Win! Collective Shout declares victory against Wicked Camper sexism after 10-year campaign
Following a decade campaigning against Wicked Camper vans for their sexist, degrading and abusive slogans - some even making jokes of rape, torture and murder - Collective Shout can announce victory.
After the long campaign against the vans for slogans such as “The difference between marmalade and jam is you can’t marmalade your cock down your girlfriend’s throat”, our perseverance has paid off, with state transport ministers signing an agreement to de-register vans carrying slogans like this.
A history of our activism against Wicked Campers, included petitions, persuading Lonely Planet to dump endorsement of the company, a successful collaboration with Wollombi Music Festival to ban entry of all Wicked vans and ongoing lobbying of MPs. (A more detailed history can be found here).
Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT enacted legislation to de-register Wicked Camper vans where Ad Standards had upheld complaints against them. NT went even further, with a decision to de-register vans unconditional on any Ad Standards determination. While these moves were welcome, Collective Shout pointed out that given the vans routinely crossed borders, uniform legislation was needed across the country.
Now, under the new plan agreed on at a national meeting of transport ministers, Wicked Campers with offensive slogans will be banned from registration in all states and territories. Each state has agreed to deregister vans that do not remove offensive slogans following a complaint, and to ensure that the van cannot be re-registered in another jurisdiction.
Movement Director Melinda Tankard Reist said the decade-long campaign was necessary due to a failed system of advertising self-regulation. “Ad Standards has no authority to enforce its rulings, and there are no penalties for non-compliance. Wicked Campers repeatedly and defiantly breached the advertising code of ethics with no consequences – more than 80 times since 2010” Ms Tankard Reist said.
The company was fuelling a culture in which violence against women thrived. Unaddressed, Wicked Campers’ messages served to undermine efforts to eradicating violence against women.
“At a time when governments are finally acknowledging the links between sexist attitudes and harmful behaviours, (see Women’s Health Victoria ‘Advertising (in)equality, 2018), funding anti-violence, respectful relationships and consent programs, it seemed remarkable that they could allow Wicked’s mobile misogyny to go unrestrained for so long,” Ms Tankard Reist said.
“We welcome this move. But it’s not the end. We need to see stronger regulation applied to other recalcitrant companies which refuse to abide by the Australian Association of National Advertisers Code of Ethics and which continue to put their vested interests above the wellbeing of the community.”
*WIN* Australian states and territories to adopt national approach against Wicked Campers sexism
After a decade of Collective Shout campaigning against Wicked Campers sexist and degrading slogans and imagery, we are excited to announce our calls for uniform legislation across the country to deregister offending Wicked vehicles have been heard.
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