The Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative has slammed an advertising campaign seeking to deter drunken-driving by warning male drivers they face the prospect of being raped in prison if arrested.
“What is distressing is the near acceptance of sexual violence in prison and the fact that men are raped in prison. It is (now being) used to keep the public in fear of drinking and driving,” said Lukas Muntingh, project co-ordinator of the initiative.
He said if the ad had been targeted at women, it would have led to an “outcry”.
“But male rape for most people is an uncomfortable topic and one way of dealing with it is through humour,” said Muntingh, who added that the subtext of the ad was that “prisons were unsafe”.
“It is about exploiting sexual violence,” he said.
But the controversial ad, the brainchild of Brandhouse Beverages, has been endorsed by the Road Traffic Management Organisation and the National Transport Department, among others.
It is part of the company’s Drive Dry campaign.
In the ad, some men are seen talking about what they’re looking for in their ideal partner.
“I’m looking for a special person,” says one.
“Someone who can handle heavy situations with a smile,” says another while a third goes on to say: “These hands will never let you go.” But as the camera zooms out, the men are seen to be inmates in a prison cell sprawled on beds and mattresses.
The subtext appears a few seconds later and reads: “They’d love to meet you. Never drink and drive.”
Researcher Lorenzo Wakefield at the Community Law Centre said he thought the ad “violated the rights of prisoners”.
“It’s ridiculous and reinforces the stereotypical image that people in prison are inherently bad and can’t be rehabilitated. That is deeply concerning,” said Wakefield.
But Brandhouse’s corporate relations director, Norman Reyneker, has stuck to his guns.
He said their research had shown that 88 percent of South Africans would be deterred from drunk-driving by the prospect of arrest and incarceration.
“We wanted to create a campaign which didn’t simply create awareness but changed consumer behaviour so that they never drink and drive again,” said Reyneker.
“This is the reason we chose the angle of the campaign: to highlight a possible consequence of drunk- driving, which is that you might end up in jail.
“The campaign is not about prison life. It is about the consequences of drunk-driving.”
Reyneker said the ad had clearly had an impact and had already received some 30 000 hits on YouTube since its launch.
Corne Koch, of the Advertising Standards Authority, said: ”No formal complaints have been lodged but sometimes, with a shocking ad like this, it does happen where some people would take offence.”
She said if asked to review the ad, they would consider it within context.
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