Online dating ads offering chance to meet 'lonely' Ukrainian women banned by watchdog

13 July 2022, 05:54

Online dating adverts offering the chance to meet "lonely" Ukrainian women have been banned by the watchdog for causing serious offence amid Russia's invasion.

The adverts, seen in May as the UK Government launched its 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, "highlight vulnerability and connect it to sexual appeal", the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

The three adverts for SofiaDate appeared in May, with the first featuring on the Dorset Echo's website.

The ad featured an image of a woman on a balcony, with the words: "Ukranian [sic] Women. Meet Thousands of Lonely Ukrainian Women. Forget About Loneliness. Let Yourself be Happy."

The second and third ads, both seen on Scottish newspaper The National's website, featured images of women and said: "Ukranian [sic] Women" and "Connecting Singles Across the World to Their Ideal Partner ... "

Three complaints lodged with the ASA said the ads were inappropriate and offensive in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Astrasoft Projects, trading as SofiaDate, said it had removed the ads.

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The National and Newsquest Media Group, trading as Dorset Echo, said the ads were "ostensibly conventional dating ads, although potentially clumsily sexist in their portrayal of women from a male perspective".

They argued the ads did not refer to the war in Ukraine, were not partisan, and were also not unsympathetic towards Ukrainian women or the Ukrainian people in general.

However, they said that on reflection they could be inconsistent with their policy of refusing ads for prostitution and trafficking, and confirmed they had since been removed.

Upholding the complaints, the ASA said the women depicted in the ads were shown in a way that was, at least partly, designed to titillate readers, with the models dressed in low-cut and body-hugging clothing.

The watchdog said: "We considered the ads' focus on Ukrainian women dressed in the aforementioned manner, as well references to their loneliness, had the effect of highlighting their vulnerability and connecting it to their sexual appeal.

"For that reason, we concluded the ads were likely to cause serious offence."