Recently the NZ radio station "the rock fm" started their "win a wife" competition.
The whole thing has horrified me on so many levels I have chosen to write the letter below to the station and also letters to their key advertisers.
Dear promotions and marketing team at the Rock FM.
I am writing with my concerns about your Promo - Win a wife.
I realize that you are expecting me to get my “Panties in a bunch” as quoted on your promo page, and regret having to fulfill your expectations.
I am going to assume that you are so ignorant to women’s safety and health issues internationally that Im going to have to start with the basics.
Your competitions should be targeting your ideal audience.You have removed all straight women, all married men, all engaged men, most men in a long term relationship, all men with a sense of honor with regards to women’s rights.
What’s left?
What a wonderful target audience you have there!
Did you do your research on companies or is this paid for by the company you are pimping out on the front page of the promo?I’d love to know how you chose the company, by all means do enlighten us...
It is all well and good to send kiwi men over there to pick out a wife and in the scenario you are most likely to try and put forward, the women are all brilliant, happy, yet lonely ladies, who just want a man. Not so desperate for escape from a destitute life that they would marry a stranger.
And even if that IS the case I would like to know what information about the Man you are sending is given to the woman he is matched with?
Criminal history? Spousal abuse history? Possible STDs or major transmittable health issues such as hepatitis? Historically, IMBs have declined to provide any information about their male clients to the women with whom they seek to match them; and, in fact, this one-sidedness has been a selling point.
A New York based advocacy group called Equality Now
demonstrated it in stark terms in 1999, when they sent a blanket email inquiry to dozens of IMBs, claiming to be from a physician who had assaulted two ex-wives; his email asked whether this history would be an problem.
Out of sixty-six responses, only three IMBs turned him down, and only two others expressed serious reservations about taking him on as a client; a few actually praised him and commiserated regarding the occasional need for violence when it comes to keeping women in line. 
Among the responses:
“Having also been accused of assault by western women, who are usually the instigators of domestic violence I can tell you: A) don't let it bother you and B) most Thais avoid confrontation, Buddhist philosophy, so they are not likely to start something that may end in violence.” (www.loveasia.com)
“Thank you for your open and honest letter. I believe we all have skeletons in the closet and do not let them fall out when we meet someone. When I look into my past it also does not look too rosy. In heated arguments we all say and do things we did not mean, it does not make us a bad person. What I am trying to say is, let the ladies get to know the real you.” (www.russianwives.com)
“We are an agency and our purpose is to try to help people meet each other. We never refuse any clients that come to us with the exception of incarcerated people. So the answer is yes we will do our very best to help you, as we do for everybody else, but you should try to work on these problem you have for your own benefit and the benefit of your future wife.” (www.missright.com)
Do you have any idea of the negative history of ‘Mail order Brides’?In 2000, the killing of a twenty-year-old woman from Kyrgyzstan named Anastasia King, whose husband turned out not only to have had a restraining order against him from a previous mail-order bride but to be seeking a new, third wife through an IMB.
In 1995, of a Filipina named Susana Blackwell, eight months pregnant, whose husband gunned her down outside a Seattle courtroom on the last day of divorce proceedings.
In 2003, of a twenty-six-year-old Ukrainian named Alla Barney, whose husband stabbed her to death in front of their young son's day-care facility
I realise that if I was to be callous that in the scope of abuses against women these cases are a drop in the can.
Nothing really if you are just looking at the statistics.
The Problem is that SOMEONE WAS PAID TO ALLOW THESE KILLERS ACCESS TO THESE WOMEN.
Domestic violence and abuse is never ok.
To profit, knowing full well that you are doing nothing to prevent possible future cases is downright reprehensible.Shame on you.
If you would also like to submit your concerns the contact details are below.
Advertisers will be added to as time goes on.
paige@therock.net.nz – promo and sponsorship
kristy@therock.net.nz - marketing
paul@mediaworks.co.nz – sales
Advertisers:
Unitec - media@unitec.ac.nz
Best foods,
I wrote a note on their website Living Social website - help@livingsocial.com
Trademe jobs - mediaenquiries@trademe.co.nz
Eye lasik - admin@aucklandeye.co.nz
Issacs cider - LNIsales@lion-nathan.co.nz
Ashley and martin hair centre - Auckland@ashleyandmartin.co.nz
Caltex – still seeking contact details.
Air New Zealand American Express Platinum card - still seeking contact details.
Audi New Zealand - Has written in to say they are not involved in the promo but continue to have ads on the same page as the Win A Wife page http://yfrog.com/h4x83oikj
Grab One, Harvey Norman and Go rentals have distanced themselves, but are continuing to advertise either on their website or radio station.
To support go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-the-Rocks-Win-a-Wife-campaign/125406027531398
