ashok321
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2010
- Messages
- 17,942
- Reaction score
- 4
- Country
- Location
The government has prohibited television channels from airing advertisements for condoms any time in the day till 10 pm, since some of the commercials were "indecent and can impact children", evoking strong reactions from companies and advertisers.
The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, in an advisory issued to all TV channels on Monday, said advertising for condoms will only be allowed between 10 pm and 6 am. "Some channels carry ads of condoms repeatedly which are alleged to be indecent, specially for children," it said. EThas seen a copy of the advisory.
Citing the Cable Television Network Rules, the ministry said ads that endanger safety of children or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices shall not be carried.
The move, it said, was "to avoid exposure of such material to children and to ensure strict adherence to the provisions".
"Any failure will attract action," it said.
Raymond Group, which owns the KamaSutra brand of condoms, condemned the blanket ban, saying "not all condom advertising is indecent".
"We follow the ASCI's code on advertising and subject ourselves to deep internal scrutiny," a company spokesperson said. Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is a self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry.
"Indecent advertising whether from condom category or otherwise should be subjected to greater self-regulation," the Raymond spokesperson said.
"MISGUIDED REFORM"
Rohit Ohri, group chairman at advertising agency FCB India, said the I&B ministry's move is a "misguided reform" triggered by the Sunny Leone ad for Manforce condom. "If the Sunny Leone advertisement is offensive, we should ban that advertisement and not regulate all condom advertising," he said.
Ohri said that to protect children from being unhealthy influences it's better to focus on education. "Creating taboos is not the answer. Creating healthy discussion is," he said and called for introducing sex and birth control education in senior school.
"The world over, condom advertising is being deregulated to prevent teenage pregnancies. It is now being widely recognised as the need of the hour," Ohri said.
Recently, ASCI had sought suggestions from the I&B ministry on whether it would be possible to restrict telecast of condom advertisements with "explicit sexual content" to between 11 pm and 5 am, which is outside of what is considered as "family time" viewing.
TRADERS' PROTEST
In September, Confederation of All India Traders had raised a hue and cry against an outdoor campaign of Mankind Pharma's Manforce condom in Gujarat during the Navratri festival.
The traders' body championed the cause of "culture and religion" during the protests that forced Mankind Pharma to withdraw nearly 500 hoardings.
"Condom ads presently are being shown in a vulgar manner which can't be accepted by civil society," a CAIT spokesperson said. "Even brand ambassadors should also be made accountable and responsible for such ads which they endorse."
A spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser, which owns Durex brand of condom, said the company will comment once it receives official communication from the ministry.
