New Delhi: Hours after they were posted, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) took down three of its advertisements that were part of its ‘We Consent’ campaign, after one of them received severe backlash on social media. Online commentators criticised the ad for going against family values, and taking woke-ism too far.
“It’s a hug from a loving grandparent for pete’s sake, not intercourse,” a user posted on X. Another user wrote, “It’s getting more difficult to mock the lunacy.”
It's getting more difficult to mock the lunacy.
— Lee Gibson (@LTG1455) October 21, 2026
A user called it “extremely disturbing,” that the ad was equating a grandparent’s hug with potential sexual abuse.
Extremely disturbing that they should be encouraging people to equate a grandparent’s hug with potential sexual abuse and trying to put a wedge between family members.
— Elizabeth Atherton (@ElizAthertonSop) October 22, 2026
‘Not everyone wants a hug’
The ad in question showed an aged couple enthusiastically hugging their grandson who they seem to be meeting after a long time. “I missed you so much,” they cry, embracing him tightly.
A teenage girl, who appears to be the boy’s sister, watches awkwardly from the background. The grandparents approach her with the same enthusiasm, however, the girl refrains from reciprocating their hug. She appears uncomfortable by a presumable breach of her personal boundary.
The ad cuts to a voiceover. “Not everyone wants a hug. Even from the people who love them.”
The ad received criticism from Irish minister for justice, Jim O’Callaghan, who called it “inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents”.
“While it is vital to ensure that people understand the concept of consent when it comes to sexual relationships, this video did not advance that aim and in many ways was counterproductive,” he added.
He also clarified that the video did not represent the views of the Government. O’Callaghan’s Department of Justice is one of the funders of the DRCC campaign.
DRCC reflects on the effect of the videos
The DRCC explained their position in a statement to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, after taking the videos down.
“We created three videos premised on the idea that boundaries should be respected from an early age and to respect others’ boundaries too.
“We are going to remove the videos from our social media channels while we reflect on whether they are having the positive effect we want them to have,” they said.
We-Consent is a long-term campaign as part of DRCC’s prevention work to increase the awareness and practice of consent in Ireland.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)