On the 30th of November, the Embassy of Netherlands in Sri Lanka & Maldives published a post on their official Facebook page in collaboration with Heineken Lanka Limited as a part of the Embassy’s ‘ORANGE THE WORLD’ campaign which aims to combat gender-based violence against women and girls in the country. The post included a slogan statement issued by Heineken which read "We must all stand together as #OneHLKOneTribe against all forms of injustice and do our part to brew a better and more equitable Sri Lanka."

The National Alcohol and Tobacco Act No. 27 which was enacted in 2006 states that advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco and alcohol products in any form is banned in Sri Lanka. However, it has been noted time and time again that corporate actors attempt to circumvent these regulations by promoting their products through discrete methods. Heineken’s collaboration with the Embassy of Netherlands is therefore doubly injurious due to the fact that not only does its connection to a foreign government agency tend to legitimize their harmful promotional message but it also gives the brand added reach through the ongoing campaign.  It is also clear that the collaboration was intended as an indirect advertisement as Heineken’s statement uses marketing phrases like “brew a better […] Sri Lanka” and the hashtag “#OneHLKOneTribe “ which portrays alcohol consumption in a positive light by linking it to national identity and community integration. 

Furthermore, alcohol is proven to be one of the main causes of gender-based violence against women in Sri Lanka, particularly during the covid pandemic (https://www.epid.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/wer/2020/vol_47_no_42-english.pdf

Taking this fact into consideration, We believe that it is highly irresponsible and unethical to include – and thereby promote – an alcohol brewer and retailer in a campaign that is meant to abolish the same gender-based violence that Heineken’s products likely contribute to and enable.

Therefore, We would like to appeal to the Embassy of Netherlands in Sri Lanka & Maldives to stop these alcohol promotions in the name of women as it is neither suitable nor ethical, and may in fact prove actively harmful to women and girls in Sri Lanka.

Please sign this petition to stop unethical illegal alcohol promotion and alcohol as an excuse for gender-based violence