A group called The Knickers For Africa is said to be asking British women to donate their unwanted old underwear to Africa. Isn’t this an insult to the women of Africa? They maybe poor but they deserve respect, in the best interest of health.
Shops in the UK do not take returns when you buy underwear, so why give someone your used underwear? The campaigners claim the old underwear could help to stop rapes and sexual assaults in Africa? Giving anyone used underwear is not something i would support.
HOTMilk, maternity lingerie specialists are said to be helping to protect vulnerable Zimbabwean women. How?
By giving them used underwear. The idea is said to have come from a Zimbabwean expatriate, Morag Roy who lives in Australia. Apparently she discovered that sexual abuse of young girls was rampant after a recent trip to Africa. And she says a local priest told her “that underwear gives wome prestige, shows they have money and means men are less likely to assault them.”
Reading about this in the Sun newspaper, I thought it must be a joke. I don’t see this as a way of helping those poor women, in fact they can get more than the used underwear. You would think the lingerie company would know better about health and hygine.
I say NO to used underwear ‘donations’. Feel free to share your views.
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May 14th, 2009 at 8:30 am
This is DISGUSTING……how can people think like this……
What makes me so mad with this is that factorys have what they call seconds that they could donate to this HotMilk thing…..
I use to collect factorys in Zim for Mozambique….and seconds are brand new, never been used the only things that they might have is a stain or mark from the machines so the factorys can’t sell them…..and those stains or marks can be removed just by washing them……
I am going to contact this HotMilk thing and let them know that this is not right…..
May 14th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Hi Sdudla…..I was very angry when I read this story in the Sun (13/05/09). Especially for the reasons given thatdonations of old underwear will stop sexual assaults on women.
This is not right and should not be encouraged, like you said there are factories and some shops like Primark here in the Uk sale cheap knickers. They could donate those to the women of Africa, not giving someone some used underwear…..
May 15th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I am a supporter of this cause in as much as I will support anyone who is taking steps to make a positive difference in the lives of people less fortunate then themselves, however humble their approach may be. Personally I wouldn’t particularly want to wear 2nd hand underwear but fortunately for me that is unlikely to be something I’ll ever have to worry about – and such is the privilege of all of us tapping on our computer keyboards. At the end of the day I suspect the critics of this charity, whatever their motivation, are few and heavily out weighed by what appears the be in the thousands of women getting behind this cause. But hey if you believe the less privileged women of Zimbabwe deserve more, great! Then go do something about it too.
May 15th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
@Roly…thank you for your contribution and again for being a supporter of those who help other people in need. I support this myself and being Zimbabwean I know what the situation in our country is like.
But giving someone used underwear I don’t support.
Underwear can be bought very cheap, it doesn’t need to be the expensive brands and those women will be happy. For health reasons I’m against this idea.
Even the company coordinating (hotmilk) say they have donated new underwear not old underwear. And again yourself you wouldn’t use someone’s old underwear, so how is it good for those African women then?
I’m sorry but I don’t support this.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Surely, once the underwear is washed, it is no different from wearing a second hand shirt, shoes, or trousers? It may be one of those things that people simply don’t think to donate.
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June 7th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
the charity isnt actually calling for second hand knickers – its new knickers and old bras!
June 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Surely if they are clean knickers and people use their common sense to only send decent 2nd hand underwear there isnt a problem. The insult would be if people sent dirty things. Obviously 2nd hand is not ideal for these women but if this appeal could help even one of them, its better than nothing. Yes if companies donated new it would be better but obviously they wont presently. Until they do, donating your old (and perhaps buying some cheap new to suppliment it-which i would personally do) is more helpful that sitting on your high horse, saying its and insult and doing nothing whilst these women continue to suffer.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:02 am
i support this. i am an African, we are happy as long as people out there still think about us.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
The people of Africa need justice and fair trade from us europeans not goods. And actually there is another campaign which is called "underwear for africa" and they give away underwear in refugee camps that "the children dont have to be naked" – i actually dont know if nudity is the biggest problem of children in refugee camps.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:09 am
I think it is a fantastic idea,I can't imagine that anyone would send old, washed out items, I have a drawerful of underwear the majority of which looks as good as new.Anyone who thinks its insulting to the African woman should do a little research into the vast differences between the western world and the developing world.Where 'not having a thing to wear' takes on a whole new meaning. The only insulting aspect of this whole affair is the ill-informed opinions of some members of the public.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
If donating clean used underwear stops women and girls getting raped then why not donate? I will be donating quite a lot as there are 3 women in our house.If I thought that my daughters could be saved from sexual assault then used knickers they would wear.
Its easy for us to say that its not right to be wearing someone elses used underwear but I would bet anyone who gives a negative comment wouldnt be in the position these poor women are.