ZOO Weekly has gone too far, this time exploiting the vulnerability of female asylum seekers through a deplorable new competition searching for "Australia’s hottest asylum seeker”.

The competition reads: "if you’ve swapped persecution for s-xiness, we want to shoot you (with a camera — relax!)".

I live amongst and count as close friends a number of female refugees from several war-torn nations in East Africa. Their stories of fleeing their countries include horrible accounts of sexual assault and even rape at the hands of militia and the military.

Many of them lost husbands, children and other family members. They still suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress, including frequent nightmares, flashbacks, depression and other associated health problems.

To trivialise and exploit these incredibly traumatic experiences is utterly appalling. That’s why I’m calling on ACP Magazines to demand ZOO issue an apology and immediately scrap this disgusting competition.

This isn’t the first strike for ZOO. The magazine recently offered to accommodate the next boatload of asylum seekers in its office if prominent MP Sarah Hanson-Young posed for them. When she did not, they pasted her head onto near-naked woman’s body.

ZOO Weekly is trivialising sexual harassment and normalising the exploitation of women, making this behaviour acceptable to the target market of young guys.

It's time to put an end to ZOO thinking they can get away with this. Your pressure on ACP could help them to finally axe this appalling competition.

 

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SHARE THIS PETITION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA!

Tweet:  Sign the petition! "ACP Magazines: Tell ZOO to apologize for exploiting asylum seekers"  http://ow.ly/cmRaq #zooapology

 

The target's social media:

ZOO Twitter: @zooman_oz

ZOO Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZOOWeeklyOz

 

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ACP Magazines other titles:

- The Australian Women’s Weekly (Australia’s number one weekly magazine)

- Woman’s Day

- DOLLY

- TV Week

- CLEO

- Cosmopolitan

- Australian House & Garden

 - Top Gear Australia and Wheels.

 

Nine Entertainment (ACP Magazine’s parent company) Co Brands:

Channel 9

Nine msn

nbn

Ticketek

Sky news

Allphones Arena