The controversy is more than served. The words of the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, accusing the PP of "promoting the culture of rape" this Wednesday in Congress have unleashed a tremendous political row that the PSOE does not share either. Montero's words arise as a result of two advertising campaigns, one in Madrid and the other in Galicia, which have coincided in time and which aim to prevent sexual assaults. However, both campaigns have also sparked controversy for placing the emphasis on the victims and not the aggressors, which has led Minister Montero to accuse the PP of questioning "the credibility of the victims." But let's see in detail what both campaigns are and what they have consisted of.
The most recent of the campaigns is the one launched by the Xunta de Galicia just one day before 25N, in the context of the international day for the elimination of violence against women. On the Xunta's official Twitter account, there was a poster with a woman running in shorts and a sports top at sunset, with the following slogan: "Dress yourself in tights. Go jogging at night. What happens now? It shouldn't happen, but it does."
The avalanche of criticism was immediate and the Xunta stepped forward alleging that the message had been distorted. The advertising agency also claimed that the objective was to emphasize "the normalized machismo that women constantly suffer." "There are no more responsible than the aggressors. This campaign is simply unacceptable," said the Secretary of State for Equality, Ángela Rodríguez, at the time, distancing herself from the campaign in which, on the other hand, the logo of the Ministry of Equality appeared.
The other advertising campaign that Irene Montero has referred to is the one launched by the Community of Madrid against chemical submission due to the introduction of narcotics in drinks in entertainment venues. With slogans such as "watch what they serve you", "always watch your drink" or "don't accept drinks from strangers", the campaign warns women that chemical submission is a practice used by sexual offenders to commit rape.
The campaign, entitled It's called chemical submission and it's a crime, has basically been disseminated in digital media, social networks and radio. The advertising visible on Instagram concludes with this message: "Chemical submission is a crime that annuls your will and allows you to be abused. Don't lose sight of your glass."
In this case, the debate took place more through social networks where politicians such as the Government delegate against Gender Violence, Victoria Rosell, hung their own posters rebutting the Community of Madrid and focusing on the aggressors.
The controversy is served, on the networks and now also in Congress itself.
