ON THURSDAY, THE Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) suspended a media campaign that sought to promote conversations around consensual hugs and embraces, following intervention from the justice minister.

The ad that prompted the intervention was part of the DRCC’s We Consent campaign, which aims to “inform, educate and engage the public about all forms of consent”.

It depicted children opening the door to their grandparents, with one grandchild happily hugging them while another appeared uncomfortable with receiving a hug.

A voiceover at the end of the scene said: “Not everyone wants a hug, even from the people who love them.” It added: “Awkward? Maybe. Important? Absolutely.”

Following online backlash, the Department of Justice (which provided funding for the campaign) said the video has been removed from the DRCC’s social media accounts while a “review” is carried out.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the ad does not reflect the views of the government and was “inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents”.

DRCC told The Journal that the video series – which included the grandparents clip – was made “based on feedback from over 20 consent workshops with younger and older people”.

The video, along with the online backlash it received and its subsequent removal, has been picked up by international media.

With that, we’re asking: What do you think of the ad and the decision to remove it?

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