Category: Accountability

PR: Chicken Ads Reveal Abuse Double-Standard, SAVE Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 20, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Chicken Ads Reveal Abuse Double-Standard, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / August 20, 2013 – A leading victim-advocacy organization is calling on Kentucky Fried Chicken to remove advertisements that depict a woman violently slapping a man. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments — SAVE — charges the ads endorse a double-standard which condemns violence against women, but views violence against men as acceptable and even comical.

A KFC spokesperson has claimed the abusive spots represent “tongue-in-cheek humor.” The controversial ad can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRH9NBcd33k .

Columnist Barbara Kay devotes her August 13 column to the commercials. “There was a time when it was believed that women were never violent by nature,” she explains. “But we know now that domestic violence is a two-way street… it is time our culture stopped finding female on male violence an appropriate vehicle for comedy.” http://princearthurherald.com/en/culture-2/barbara-kay-kfcs-hot-shot-bites-ad-campaign-leaves-me-cold-3

The slap-ads have triggered an international outcry. Persons from 28 countries have signed a petition condemning the KFC ads for promoting “dangerous stereotypes.” http://www.change.org/petitions/kentucky-fried-chicken-stop-making-light-of-domestic-violence

Facebook commentaries were much more pointed, calling KFC “sexist” and saying the company would never produce an ad making light of male-on-female violence.

“KFC executives should be hanging their heads in shame,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “They still don’t get it – there’s no excuse for domestic violence whether it affects a man or woman.”

A major research compilation shows female-perpetrated partner violence is more widespread than male-perpetrated violence — 28.3% vs. 21.6%: http://domesticviolenceresearch.org/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Accountability Domestic Violence Media Press Release Victims Violence

PR: Domestic Violence Still Affects Millions, But KFC Insists Gender Violence in Ads is Harmless ‘Humor’

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 15, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Domestic Violence Still Affects Millions, But KFC Insists Gender Violence in Ads is Harmless ‘Humor’

WASHINGTON / August 15, 2013 – Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is currently running advertisements that feature a woman violently slapping a man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRH9NBcd33k . Following numerous complaints, KFC continues to show the ads, and now claims the spots represent “tongue-in-cheek humor.”

The KFC announcement follows release of a major research compilation that shows that female-perpetrated violence is more widespread than male-perpetrated violence (28.3% vs. 21.6%). The compilation also reveals that police often fail to arrest female perpetrators of domestic violence.

The research was conducted by the Partner Abuse State of Knowledge (PASK) project, a summary of over 1,700 research studies on domestic violence and partner abuse: http://domesticviolenceresearch.org/

The KFC slap-ads have triggered widespread commentary and controversy.

Award-winning columnist Barbara Kay tweeted on August 10, “KFC finds humor in women slapping men. Sorry, humor in either sex slapping the other is so ‘over.’”

One petition charges the KFC ads perpetuate “dangerous stereotypes” that violence against men can be considered a “joke:” http://www.change.org/petitions/kentucky-fried-chicken-stop-making-light-of-domestic-violence

The National Coalition for Men wonders whether the violence-filled ads are making chickens “blush with shame:” http://ncfm.org/2013/08/news/uncategorized/kfc-uses-violence-against-men-to-sell-chicken-pathetic/

“Kentucky Fried Chicken is trying to sell chicken by pushing the sick idea that violence against men is not only acceptable, it’s even funny,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “That’s shameful, and it’s wrong.”

SAVE has launched a national public awareness campaign based on the PASK research to assure no victim of gender violence is ever ignored, ridiculed, or turned away: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/kfc/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Abuse Shelter Accountability Discrimination Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

Press Release: Lawmakers Urged to Swiftly Implement VAWA’s Inclusiveness Mandate

Post author By saveadmin
Post date March 12, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Lawmakers Urged to Swiftly Implement VAWA’s Inclusiveness Mandate

WASHINGTON / March 12, 2013 – Following recent reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act, SAVE, a leading victim-rights organization, is calling on state lawmakers to move swiftly to implement the inclusiveness mandate of the new federal law.

Lawmakers need to establish independent commissions to review the policies and practices of abuse shelters, police departments, and prosecutors, and then pass appropriate laws designed to weed out all traces of bias, SAVE says.

Discriminatory practices have been documented on a wide scale against male (1), lesbian/gay (2), and immigrant (3) victims of abuse. The new federal law features numerous provisions designed to bring a halt to discriminatory practices. SAVE, which advocates for all victims of domestic violence, has developed a summary of the new federal requirements (4).

“The VAWA debate over the last year has exposed a disturbing pattern of prejudice and bias in our nation’s approach to curbing partner abuse,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “We thank the members of Congress who stood up to say, ‘No victim of domestic violence should be re-victimized by shameful discriminatory practices.’”

Within hours of the bill’s passage in the House of Representatives, Attorney General Eric Holder released this statement: “I applaud Congress for passing a bipartisan reauthorization that protects everyone – women and men, gay and straight, children and adults of all races, ethnicities, countries of origin, and tribal affiliations.” (5)

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org