A keychain issued by the Colombian military for an anti-landmine campaign, showing a woman’s bra being taken off by a pair of feet, has been criticized by women and rejected by the government as “tasteless” and “disrespectful.”
A family commission in the town of Santa Rosa in the northern Bolivar department complained about the keychains which bear the logo: “Because your legs are used for more than just walking,” around a cartoon of a woman’s bra being taken off by a man’s feet.
As a result, the Presidential Program for Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines (PAICMA) firmly rejected the use of the controversial keychains that were meant to be given out by the army as “prevention material for antipersonnel mines,” reported newspaper El Tiempo.
Several copies of the keychain were distributed before being halted by PAICMA authorities.
“It is disrespectful to women and victims of these devices (mines) and does not meet the standards or principles that should be taken into account in building materials and preventive actions in the matter,” claimed a statement by PAICMA.
Authorities further stated that the keychain not only “disrespected the dignity and essence of women” but was also not in line with their principles of human rights and human dignity, even promoting violence and the violation of women with the keychain.