Romania: Playboy abets wife-beating

Off Our Backs, Jun 2000 by Douglas, Carol Anne

BUCHAREST--The Romanian edition of Playboy magazine published an article titled, "How to Beat Your Wife Without Leaving Marks" in its April issue. The editors said it was an April Fool's joke.

But Romanian women did not laugh. Lilliana Popescu, the director of Civic Education Project, and other nongovernmental organizations demanded a meeting with the editor of Playboy Romania. They proposed that the editors print a formal apology in the next issue, publish articles discussing the seriousness of domestic violence in Romania, and donate the equivalent of $300,000 to shelters for battered women. They said they would sue if Playboy did not accept. They also planned to hold a demonstration in protest.

Reportedly, Romania leads Balkan statistics for domestic violence against women.

The Chicago-based Playboy enterprises apologized to Romanian women. Reportedly, they also promised to print articles in the Romanian edition criticizing battering.

--info from Coalition Against Trafficking in Women