To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament are launching an EU platform of cities engaged against sexist advertisement.

 

During a special conference organised in the European Parliament later today, the S&Ds will award a label to social democratic mayors who have put legislation in place to ban sexist advertisement in public places, such as subways, bus stops and streets in their cities.

 

Participants at the conference include representatives of the cities of London (England) Frankfurt a.M. (Germany) , Bucharest sector 5 (Romania) and Charleroi (Belgium).

 

 

“I am really pleased to honour all women with an initiative which aims at banning sexism in advertisement. The Socialists and Democrats have been fighting sexist advertising for a long time. Sexism contradicts the principle of gender equality, which is one of the core values of our political family. Sexist and stereotyped messages communicated via images, words or the expression of attitudes in advertisement have an influence on people’s mind-sets; the abolition of sexist advertisement is also a stop signal to violence against women, towards which we have zero tolerance.

 

 “With this initiative, we encourage all our social democratic leaders to act together in banning sexist advertisement in their local neighbourhood and thus building on a gender equal society.”

 

 

“As a woman I very often feel offended by sexist advertisement. It is high time to prohibit the denigration of women to the role of sexual objects. We have had enough of young girls in bathing suits being used to sell cars, we have had enough of campaigns for a perfect body that stigmatise women who don’t fit in the image of size zero designers and we have had enough of women portrayed in traditional stereotyped women's roles.

 

“Let’s stop sexism! No woman deserves to be seen as a product of marketing or as a sexual object.” 

 

 

“Publicity is not only about selling products, it tells us how we should live our lives. Women are expected to fit in these idealistic representations of perfect mothers, working girls and flawless bodies ready for the beach, whereas men are expected to be virile and to always have a woman by their side.

 

“Unfortunately, this creates a fertile ground for psychological and sexual violence. In the context of the #MeToo campaign, it is our responsibility to change all our behaviours”.

 

 

 

 

Special S&D Group meeting

on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2018

- open to the public and media -

 

Tuesday 6 March 2018

18:15 - 20:00

JAN 4 Q 2