Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan announced the removal of a Dublin Rape Crisis Centre advertisement that urged grandparents to seek consent before hugging their grandchildren, stating the video does not represent government views. The ad, part of the DRCC's "We-Consent" campaign, aired in September and drew criticism from multiple political parties after it went viral.
The video depicted two grandparents greeting their grandchildren, with one grandchild appearing receptive to a hug and the other refusing. A narrator in the clip stated, "Not everyone wants a hug, even from the people who love them. Awkward? Maybe. Important? Absolutely." O'Callaghan, whose department funded the campaign, said the video was inappropriate and demeaning to grandparents. He declared that while understanding consent in sexual relationships is vital, the specific video did not advance that aim and was counterproductive.
Fine Gael Senator Gareth Scahill criticized the use of public funds for what he described as an ill-thought-out and offensive message. Scahill questioned whether the campaign's logic would extend to requiring consent forms for family greetings at Dublin, Shannon, Knock, and Cork airports during the holidays. He acknowledged the important work done by the Rape Crisis Centre and other agencies in advocating for victims of sexual violence but maintained that this particular video was far off the mark.
The DRCC responded to the backlash in a statement to Irish broadcaster RTE, describing "We-Consent" as a long-term prevention campaign aimed at increasing awareness of consent in Ireland. The organization stated that it created three videos based on the principle that boundaries should be respected from an early age. The DRCC confirmed it would remove the videos from its social media channels to reflect on whether they were achieving the desired positive effect.
Inez Stepman, a senior policy and legal analyst at Independent Women, commented on the controversy in an interview with Fox News Digital. She argued that institutions were lecturing grandparents about hugging children instead of addressing what she identified as the cause of rising rape rates. Stepman cited a 2024 report by the Irish Independent stating that reports of sexual assault in Ireland nearly doubled between 2012 and 2022. She characterized the campaign as an example of politically correct lack of courage that rightfully caused a backlash.