Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 22,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

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GONE ARE the days when you thought that only fairer sex is the victim of domestic violence and abuse in India. According to a research by Confidare Men’s Rights Community Center, every year almost double the number of married men are committing suicides compared to married women.

A friend asks a man during a party, “What’s the plan for new year?” And a tight slap lands on his face from his girlfriend, standing near him, as he fails to give proper response to the above question by his friend. Similarly, in another incident, a husband gets a tight slap on his face, instead of love, from his wife as he sits expectant in a room in front of the TV. After these slaps men are advised not to repeat the mistake of last year and they should buy these passes for New Year’s party this year.

Such transmissions on the television have irked the sentiments of men’s rights organizations badly. They have complained against this commercial to the Advertising Standards Council of India and have demanded for removal of the commercial. This campaign is run by a private website that allows bookings of famous hotels, wherein, violence is perpetrated against boyfriend/husband that has irked a group of men.

Men’s rights organizations have not only demanded immediate removal of the offensive ad but have also demanded an apology from the company in all leading national and local dailies. As per the complainant organization Save Indian Family Foundation, these type of ads propagate the concept of domestic violence against men. Men are being targeted by such campaigns.

This ad insults men, while a similar ad targeting women would have drawn a lot of flak and a lot of hue and cry would have been made out of it. These types of campaigns make such behavior against men as socially acceptable. It raises a question on the safety of men in the society. Such mediums clearly show that abuse of men has grown a lot in the society. It is the result of such mindset only that the suicides figures for married men are almost double that of married women.

Often it is heard that the life of a daughter-in-law has been ruined due to the harassment meted out by husband and mother-in-law. But why is it not common to hear that a wife has ruined the life of her husband and mother-in-law. Well, it does happen but these incidents are suppressed and never make it out of the house owing to male domination in the society. Men become victims of domestic violence and compromise in order to protect the reputation of the family. This is the reason that social organizations are sprouting up for men victimized by domestic violence.

As per these organizations the poor man, if he hits his wife he is violent and if he gets beaten up by her, he is a coward; if he fights after seeing his wife with someone else then he is jealous and if he does not react then he is indifferent; if he goes out of house, he is a wanderer and if he stays at house, he is useless; if he scolds his children he is torturous and if he does not then he is irresponsible; if he stops his wife from going to job then he is of suspicious nature and if he does not stop then he lives off his wife; if he listens to his mother then he is mama’s boy and if he listens to his wife then he is a henpecked husband.

Yet, he cannot share his pain with anyone. People laugh if he does so. D S Rao, state representative for All India Men’s Welfare Association points out that the most peculiar thing about harassment of men under domestic violence vis-à-vis women, is that no one believes the man; neither the police takes up his complaint nor the Govt. has formed any national commission for men, on the lines of national commission for women. The entire incident is blown off in humor.

Some people in the society give odd names to such victimized men like henpecked husband, impotent and what not owing to which the victim feels highly undignified. Unable to bear the harassment many a men take the extreme route of committing suicide as well. We often do hear news about married men committing suicides; however, the real reason behind these suicides rarely comes out.

Vikas of Confidare Men’s Rights Community Center, another such organization, tells us that in Kolkata, the group of harassed husbands does meet up either in a public place or at some private place. When a new victim arrives, we counsel him so that his suicidal tendencies can be reduced.

Many surveys have clearly revealed that Section 498A of the IPC is heavily misused. Many husbands are falsely charged with harassing their wives for dowry under this section. In a petition numbered 583/2006 the Supreme Court had commented that many wives are taking advantage of this section and using it to threaten their husbands. As per statistics every 19 minutes a man is murdered and every 10 minutes a married man commits suicide.

It is pertinent to mention here that groups of husbands victimized by their wives have started organizing and have started protesting against the Govt. and are fighting for getting the section 498A amended to make it bailable. Govt. is thinking on the lines of amendment. These organizations are also demanding a separate men’s welfare ministry. They are creating pressure on the Govt. by making petitions supported by appropriate documents highlighting male abuse.

Zomato portal operates an online food guide and launched a series of ads in promotion of the new year parties and special discounts wherein in a husband or a boyfriend is slapped by their female partners for not booking for special dinners or events.

Taking objection to it and claiming that it shows men in poor light, Save India Family Foundation (SIFF) complained against DC Foodiebay Online Services Pvt Ltd – which controls Zomato – demanding its immediate withdrawal.

“This is being projected as form of acceptable social treatment towards men. This has sparked off fresh doubts on the safety of men in the society. Abuse of men is so rampant in the society that it is quite evident from these ads,” said a SIFF activist.

According to the complaint, the ad campaign promotes violence against men and husbands and is unacceptable in the society.“Domestic violence against men is a serious social problem. As per MHA statistics, every year almost double the number of married men are committing suicides compared to married women,” the complaint said.

The organisation has demanded an apology to be published in the national dailies and an declaration from the online food hub.

Sub: Complaint against sexist anti-male ad campaign designed by DC Foodiebay Online Services Pvt. Ltd.

Respected Sir/Madam,

Honorable Chairman,

DC Foodiebay Online Services Pvt. Ltd. operates an online food guide through its website www.zomato.com. It provides restaurant directory, and menu-pages Website for customers to dine out or order food in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh. The address of this company along with the key contact person is as under

Mr. Deepinder Goyal
Level 2
K2/4, Behind Central Arcade
DLF Phase 2
Gurgaon, 122002
India

The key executives of the company are as under

Mr. Pankaj Chaddah

Mr. Deepinder Goyal

Mr. Gunjan Patidar

Recent ads by Zomato portal of restaurants has sparked off fresh doubts on the safety of men in the society. Abuse of men is so rampant in the society that it is – “Too obvious to be as good as oblivious“. Being consistent with the existing male hatred in the society, Zomato has come up with an ad campaign for promoting their new-year bashes wherein, in every ad the husband/boyfriend is slapped by his woman and this is being projected as form of acceptable social treatment towards men. However, in reality the ad is highly sexist in nature

The ads are available at,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwh_puRKMw

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZK_Ej4MzYc

The ad campaign promotes violence against men and husbands and is unacceptable in the society. Domestic violence against men is a serious social problem. As per suicide statistics published by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, every year almost double the number of married men are committing suicides compared to married women. Figures for 2010 indicate around 62000 married men vs. 30000 married women. Domestic violence has been identified as one of the major reasons of suicide. These ads clearly promulgate domestic violence targeted against men and hence these ads are highly sexist in nature. As a result, we are filing a complaint before you.

We have sent our message to the company but instead of realizing the seriousness of the issue and taking it up in the right spirit, the company has banned those reporting the abuse. This is a highly unprofessional behavior on part of the company and as such we demand

1. DC Foodiebay Services Pvt. Ltd. to stop the ad campaign immediately.
2. They should publish a 10 cm. X 12 cm. apology for insulting men, in all leading national dailies, on either the front page or back page.
3. They should give an undertaking that they will never design sexist anti-male ad campaigns in future under any circumstances.

Hence, we urge your good office to take necessary action as per its policies against Foodiebay Services Pvt. Ltd. for designing an offensive, sexist and anti-male ad campaign.

Look at the ads below for yourself and decide – “Do you want your sons/brothers to be treated like this?”