Residents call for more control of promotional brochures and flyers

Abu Dhabi: Residents complain that sleazy brochures and flyers are appearing at their doorsteps.

They say these embarrassing flyers should be kept in kiosks and news stands instead.

One resident, Sa'ad Jasem, said he was shocked to find a questionable flyer at his doorstep, and other doors in the building.

"The flyer is supposed to be a promotion for a fitness gym.

"However, the picture shows a man and woman semi-naked like catwoman, and the man pulling her with a rope."

Jasem urged the government to regulate these outrageous flyers and issue a law requiring that they be checked by the ministry of culture or police before printing and throwing them at people's doors.

Ahmad S., a father of two schoolchildren, said it was embarrassing when he found one of these "pornographic" flyers stuck under the windshield wiper of his car early in the morning as he was ready to take his daughters to school.

"Authorities must do something about this to help us protect our children against such things," Ahmad said.

Laila, a teacher and a mother of a daughter, said she was disheartened when she saw a sexy poster promoting what was supposed to be a spa, lying at her doorstep.

Dumped

She said she threw it in the dustbin but did not know to whom she should complain.

"Circulating such embarrassing handbills advertising spas, fitness and bodybuilding centres should be banned," Laila said.

Joseph M., an engineer, said these promotional brochures and flyers should not be allowed to be mass printed and circulated.

"The way peddlers are handing out these offensive handbills to people on the streets and at mosques or churches or throwing them at doorsteps is completely unacceptable," he said.

A manager of a gym said he did not get the promos approved as he did not know the regulations.

He said the flyers were distributed by an advertising agency and did not know where they were distributed.

"These were not meant to hurt the sentiments of people," said Majid Al Asadi, manager of Rock Gym, one of the fitness centres which distributes the flyers.

Officials at the National Media Council said that materials offensive to the public are prohibited and that all flyers, handbills and posters must be approved by the council before being distributed.

"Many organisations break the law by just printing and circulating hundreds of thousands of these posters without getting them approved," said an official.

He advised people to report such incidents to the Council at phone No 02 4451139.

The advertisement brochures, flyers and posters have shown how much some people have gone in offending the other people's feelings and culture. Without a tough punishment in place, these dirty advertisements continue circulating.
Abdullah
Dubai,UAE

There should be a strict monitoring system for printed and electronic media so that children will be spared from seeing materials like this.
Haider
Sharjah,UAE