Leader took part in radio station interview, walking into a cage to pick up a bar of soap, which campaigners say was a deliberate allusion to prison rape

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

New Zealand’s prime minister, John Key, has been accused of making light of rape after participating in a radio stunt referencing sexual assault in prison.



Key appeared for an informal interview on The Rock radio station on Wednesday when he was asked to enter a cage and pick up a bar of soap – a clear reference to rape in prisons.

When he picked up the soap, the radio station’s staff dissolved into laughter and the leader then commented that the soap smelt bad and was greasy.



The radio host told him the soap was taken from the men’s urinal.



Ken Clearwater from Survivors of Sexual Abuse New Zealand said he found the stunt “bloody appalling”.



“Rape is not a joke, full stop. Regardless of the gender of the victim. The psychological damage done to men and boys is the same as to women.”



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Deborah Russell, a feminist commentator and Massey University lecturer, said she too, was “appalled” by the prime minister’s participation in the stunt, which she said was further evidence of his weak stance on tackling sexual violence in New Zealand.



“He [John Key] has a terrible history of not standing up against sexual violence in this country. He has cut funding to rape crisis, he silenced women parliamentarians who spoke out about their own sexual assault experiences and now we have him making jokes about prison rape on a national radio station. When will it end?”



Greens MP Jan Logie was one of the female MPs who walked out of parliament in November after being silenced for openly discussing her personal experience as a survivor of sexual violence.



“It seems to me that this is not the first time that the PM has made light of rape and made fun of marginalised people to increase his own popularity. And again he has behaved like a school yard bully, and it makes it really hard to change the culture in New Zealand that will make people feel more safe.”



Rae Duff, the national president of New Zealand’s National Council of Women, said Key was routinely “trivialising” sexual violence, and he should apologise for the radio stunt.

“We are disappointed to see prime minister John Key joking about and trivialising sexual violence. Violence is a serious issue in New Zealand with many cases going unreported.

“Key’s ‘joke’ shows a lack of respect for victims and contributes to the stigma faced when speaking out about violence and harassment. We call on John Key to apologise for his ‘joke’ and to do more to support the victims of violence in New Zealand.”



In the 2011 United Nations Report on the Status of Women, New Zealand was ranked worst of all the OECD countries for rates of sexual violence.



The Rock radio stunt is the latest in a series of live radio appearances Key has made this year, many which have pushed boundaries and revealed intimate details.



In October, Key appeared on Radio Hauraki and admitted he had urinated in the shower, didn’t trim his pubic hair and had never sent a “dick pic”.



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Political commentator Dr Bryce Edwards told Radio New Zealand on Thursday morning the prime minister’s “jokey blokey” persona was a key part of his public image and the radio stunts would not hurt his reputation in the long term.



“He remains a very popular prime minister and it’s because he is not aloof like a typical prime minister. He’s not a stick in the mud, he does go in for these jokes.”

A spokesperson for Key told the Guardian: “The prime minister does these interviews in the spirit of Christmas and the content is decided by the hosts.

“The interviews are meant to be light hearted, and the prime minister hopes the media and the public take them that way.”