By Anushree Jois
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory prohibiting all television channels from playing condom advertisements from 6 AM to 10 PM. The Ministry has justified its move by stating that some channels carried advertisements which are “indecent” for children. In the interest of ensuring appropriate content for day-time viewing, it has pushed the timings to late night, presumably for the nocturnal audience.
Circumstances leading to the decision
During September this year, Manforce initiated an outdoor campaign for its condoms featuring Sunny Leone. The company decided to time their campaign with Navaratri festivities in Gujarat to promote safe sex. This did not go well with the many religious groups as it hurt their sentiments, and Manforce was forced to remove all its hoardings. Similarly, Salman Khan recently expressed concerns about the explicit content of Playgards condom advertisement featuring the married couple Bipasha Basu and Karan Grover. He expressed that his show Bigg Boss was for family viewing and the advertisement was not appropriate to be played in the breaks. It was thereafter not aired by the producers during the show time.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had received many complaints against several brands of contraceptives using explicit adult content to advertise during the last month. The complaints mainly suggested that the content of advertisements was for adults and should not be aired during prime time. As slotting advertisements are not part of the mandate of ASCI, it approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It sought the Ministrys suggestion if such advertisements could be telecasted only between from 11 PM to 5 AM. The Ministry thereafter has banned all condom advertisements from being aired from 6 AM to 10 PM.
Advisory of the Ministry
The Ministry in its advisory has said that some channels repeatedly aired condom advertisements which are indecent, especially for children. It has drawn reference to Rules 7(7) and 7(8) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. They provide that the cable service shall not carry advertisements that “endanger the safety of children or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices”, and those advertisements that contain “indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment” shall be avoided.
In view of these provisions, the Ministry has advised that advertisements of condoms meant for a particular age group are inappropriate for viewing of children. It has accordingly restricted the telecast to 10 PM to 6 AM so that exposure of such material to children is avoided. It has also advised TV channels to be in strict accordance with the Rules, failing which they will be susceptible to action under the same.
Indias tryst with condoms
Family planning was introduced in India as early as 1952. Amongst its many campaigns, programmes, and initiatives, the government is credited with making condoms popular in India. In the 1960s, it was seen that the cost of condoms in India was almost as high as in the United States. Hence, it was decided that the government would import and sell condoms at economical rates in India. The government carried out its first mass-distribution of condoms under the name Nirodh. A few years later, HLL Lifecare Limited, which later came to be known as Hindustan Latex Limited, was set up for production of these condoms to support the National Family Planning Programme. The undertaking went on to also create another brandMoods.
As the country approached the 1990s, the government promoted Nirodh on Doordarshan as a medium for family planning and prevention of HIV. The advertisement also aimed at removing the social awkwardness associated with condoms. In 1991, advertising of condoms received a complete makeover with the airing of KamaSutra featuring Pooja Bedi and Marc Robinson. The advertisement promoted usage of condoms for pleasure. The Indian conservative minds were in a state of shock. Sex, and anything to do with it, simply came under the category of that which should not be spoken of. There were protests and the advertisement was taken down.
Over the years, condom brands including HLL, have become bolder with their approaches. This was to simply promote usage of condoms. Sex does not need promotion in the second most populous country in the world, but contraceptives clearly do. HLL has come up with various campaigns such as My Man and Your Time, Your Place. Even actors have started endorsing condom brands. Ranveer Singh, Sunny Leone, and Bipasha Basu and Karan Grover were recently witnesses promoting Durex, Manforce, and Playgard respectively.
Response to the ban
Being a government undertaking, HLL has evolved with time and has lived up to its vision of “innovating for healthy generations”. Moods is one of the largest manufacturers of condoms today and have a market in international destinations so that one can #PlayItRight anywhere in the world. Earlier this year, at 50 years, Nirodh received a sensual makeover. In such circumstances, the Ministrys ban on all condom advertisements during prime time is seen as a step backwards.
The advisory has been welcomed by many as the move is in line with Indian traditional values and is needed to protect growing minds. Families can now enjoy their together-time in front of the television without any sense of awkwardness. The primetime banning of condom advertisements is not unique to India. Until 2010 there was a ban on airing condom advertisements before 9 PM in the United Kingdom. In order to beat the increase in teenage pregnancies, the ban was lifted. In the United States, despite there being no law on banning such advertisements, CBSa major television channeldid not air them as a policy. However, it changed to support a campaign that encouraged the use of condoms against AIDS but ran it only after 9 PM.
On the other hand, the ban has disappointed people on many counts. If there were certain ads that were indecent, then such advertisements could have been banned. To punish all condom brands from advertising for misgivings of a few is unfair. Also, if the issue was about content, the Ministry should know better that internet provides a much wider range of information that can influence the adolescent minds. The ban simply is misdirected.
The ban is unwelcome
As a culture, Indians are conservative and shy about speaking about anything to do with sex. Ironically, it is the second most populous country in the world with 1.32 billion. In the next few years, India is expected to overtake Chinas 1.37 billion to become the most populous. Clearly, Indians feel shy and awkward only talking about sex and not about doing it.
A recent study published in Lancet Global Health Journal indicated that more than 48.1 million pregnancies in India were unintended and a third of them resulted in abortion. The report also suggested that there were actually around 15.6 million abortions in India in 2015 against the seven lakh figure projected by the Centre. According to a United Nations report, India has the third highest number of people living with HIV in the world. When such facts are shouting out for a need of better sex education, promotion for use of contraceptives, and modes of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), a move to ban all condom advertisements during the day is severe.
The optimum solution
The intention of the Ministry in issuing the ban is penned out as protecting children from indecent content being played on television channels. The intention of itself is wholesome. The solution was simple enough too. The Ministry could have advised the television channels to refrain from airing such explicit content or could have banned that particular advertisement. This is not the first time that contents of certain advertisements have been called in question. Previously, several products such as Reeboks Reetone, CALIDA underwear, Tough shoe and Wildstone deodorant have also faced a ban due to their contents.
The product under question is, however, condoms, which are one of the easily available contraceptives and are also safe. They not only help in population control but also prevent spreading of STDs. Condom advertisements are not to promote sex but to promote safe sex, and India has a long way to go in educating its people in this regard. Keeping the overall purpose and need of the product in mind, pushing the advertisements for after 10 PM viewing, is disappointing.
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