For over a month now, discussions have been raging over the social ad "Men for Women" in Lithuania. This campaign, created by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office and various NGOs, attempts to liken violent men and men who degrade women to beasts. Campaign posters declare, "Looking for a dangerous donkey. If found - stop him or dial 112 for the police" and "Violence against women will only end if you react. Stop the scum!"

Ruffled feathers

As soon as these posters hit the streets, they attracted the ire of anonymous animal rights defenders. According to Rita, who claims to be a public relations expert, these posters "promote pure hatred for a specific breed—the 'ad' depicts a Staffordshire bull terrier."

"A pig (one of the most intelligent creatures around, by the way) does not characterize a man who bullies—a bully does. A donkey does not characterize foolishness—a fool does. There are no fighting breeds, but, lamentably, there are fighting people," she added.

Men complain of discrimination

A complaint regarding the social campaign was also submitted to its initiator, the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office. Its authors are convinced that the campaign directly targets men based on gender and is, without a doubt, discriminatory against them.

"This campaign is feminist propaganda sponsored and supported by European Union institutions," claims the writer of the complaint. According to him, the visual imagery of the campaign gives the impression that only men ever resort to violence, with women only ever being the victim.

1 in 3

Commenting on the situation, gender equality expert Margarita Jankauskaitė drew attention to a paradox—there was more sensitivity shown for animal rights than for women who fell victim to domestic violence. She claims that the dehumanization of women and the expropriation of their bodies has become an extremely widespread, natural and practically unquestioned practice.

Meanwhile, statistical data shows that one in almost every three women in Lithuania falls victim to domestic sexual abuse. Compared to other women in Europe, Lithuanian women are, on average, much more frequently subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse.