RATE THAT RACK! New campaign launches across Birmingham & the Midlands urging retailers to shelve lads’ mags & porn

A new digital campaign is calling on people in the West Midlands to take part in the Shelve It! day of action on Monday 1 October.

Shelve It!, a campaign led by the Women’s Networking Hub in Birmingham, is reaching out to women to use their camera phones and social media to help stop the irresponsible displaying by retailers of lads’ mags and porn in reach and view of children across the West Midlands.

Women from all backgrounds have already started rating their retailers’ displays of lads’ mags and porn as they go about their daily business and sharing their results on the Shelve It! online Porn Map. And now it’s your turn to get involved.

Shelve It! is asking you to Check It, Rate It, Share It!:

1. Check It! Out shopping? Check the magazine aisle.
• Are lads’ mags for sale?
• Where are they shelved? Can children see or reach them?
• Take a photo if you feel able to – it helps others understand the problem.

2. Rate It! Give the retailer a rating using the Shelve It! Rate Your Retailer questions.
• 5* Porn free
• X-Rated
• XX-Rated
• XXX-Rated

3. Share It! Show others how responsible your retailer is.
• Add the rating to the Shelve It! Porn Map
• Tweet it using the hashtags #shelveit #shelveitbrum
• Share it on our Facebook page – Shelve It Birmingham

These three simple actions can help people across Birmingham to choose to shop in responsible retailers and pressure retailers to display their lads’ mags responsibly out of reach and view of children.

So far, women have rated 16 Birmingham retailers – and found them far from responsible. 12 have been given the XXX-rating for displaying lads’ mags within reach of children, three have been given the XX-rating for displaying lads’ mags out of reach but in view of children, and one has been rated X-rating for displaying lads’ mags out of reach but covered. No retailers have yet been rated 5* Porn Free for not selling porn or lads’ mags.

ENDS.

Notes to editors:

1. Contact: Shahida Choudhry, Founder of the Women's Networking Hub shahidachoudhry@aol.com, 07583 870568
2. People can take part in Shelve It! through the website – http://shelve-it.co.uk – join in on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/ShelveItBirmingham – and follow us on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/shelve_it (#shelveit, #shelveitbrum)
3. The Women’s Networking Hub exists to empower women and girls to create a better future for everyone. We envisage a world where women and girls from all backgrounds regularly come together to network, share, grow, and campaign on the issues that matter to them. We bring together women and girls from all backgrounds so that we can strengthen our individual and collective power to improve our communities.
4. The Young Foundation is supporting the Women’s Networking Hub and Shelve It! through its Building Local Activism programme – http://www.youngfoundation.org