Delhi Police faces flak for controversial ad, withdraws

The Delhi Police, which faced severe criticism from several quarters for the "insensitive" portrayal of street children in newspaper advertisements, has finally withdrawn the controversial ad.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Delhi Police, which faced severe criticism from several quarters for the "insensitive" portrayal of street children in a newspaper advertisement, has finally withdrawn the controversial ad. Reports, Thursday said that the controversial ad was withdrawn after Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and several other NGOs sought an explanation from Delhi Police for showing street children in a bad light. The quarter-page black-and-white ad, which appeared in a leading English news daily, featured a somber-looking boy with the tagline: “Help him learn how to chop an onion. Before someone teaches him how to chop a head. According to the Delhi Police, the ad took such a striking tone simply to encourage underprivileged young people to join the Delhi Police Yuva Foundation, which offers cooking, stitching and housekeeping workshops and aims to keep kids out of trouble. However, child advocates reacted to it by saying that blatantly pushing teens to perform tedious work is demeaning, and could exacerbate an already grave child-labor issue. Activists found the questionable ad particularly disconcerting because they say the country, as a whole, is failing its children. According to Child Rights and You, a nonprofit NGO that aims to provide justice for India’s children, 17 million kids in the country are forced to work, and clock in an average of 21 hours a week. " The advertisement evoked strong reactions from several quarters and a DCPCR member said, "The commission has sent a notice to Delhi Police for portraying street children in a derogatory manner. "It is atrocious. We would want them to go to school rather than work. They have been asked to reply in two weeks time. We have also sent a letter to the lieutenant governor of Delhi to look into the matter," said another member, requesting anonymity. The commission also asked Delhi Police to withdraw the advertisement. With IANS inputs