The South African Human Rights Commission will on Monday convene the first sitting of an inquiry into racial discrimination in the advertising industry.
The commission’s Gauteng provincial office will lead the inquiry in Sandton, which aims to address and avoid the publication of adverts that carry racial undertones in South Africa.
The commission said that it was deeply concerned about the industry after several submissions of racial discrimination were given to the institution by the public, advertising agencies, retailers, and regulatory bodies.
The role of the advertising industry in protecting and promoting human rights will come under scrutiny during Mondays’ inquiry.
The South African Human Rights Commission’s Chris Nissen said this comes on the back of the publication of ads that have caused an uproar from within the industry and society.
“Advertising should not be about trying to push only one group, one class, one race – you are further dividing the South African society. This does not contribute to a South Africa in which there is tolerance, respect, and social cohesion,” Nissen said.
In 2020, a Tresemmé shampoo advert depicted blonde women’s hair as “normal,” and black women’s as “frizzy and dull,” while in 2018, H&M apologized for an advertising image featuring a black boy modeling a hoodie with the slogan “coolest monkey in the jungle”.
-EWN
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