OUR TV commercials never fail to amaze me. In a country where statistics show that millions of our children suffer from malnutrition, there are some renowned paint and detergent brands whose advertisements show food being thrown on walls, encouraging children to do the same. Some show celebrities participate in the unique game that can appropriately be called ‘how to waste food in every possible manner’.

In yet another commercial, when customers order a soft drink, a roadside hotel owner calls out to “Chotay!” This only promotes the idea of child labour; no one notices that ‘Chotay’ is just a routine matter. So, why do we ask questions when cases like that of 10-year-old domestic worker Tayyaba come up? We are encouraging this, subconsciously, through our commercials.

Across the world, people have rejected beauty products that claim to whiten complexions. People know well that a fair skin is not integral to beauty. Sadly enough, we are promoting the opposite, through commercials — and even through some doctors. Channels should stand against such commercials, or else their impact may become too big to handle.

Amama Bushra Jahangir

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2017