Outcry over ‘weapons of love’ forces Hong Kong charity to scrap student contest

A leading Hong Kong charity has called off a student eco-bag design contest meant to counter domestic violence following public backlash over its directive for pupils to draw inspiration from objects commonly linked to household abuse.

Po Leung Kuk confirmed on Thursday that it had scrapped the competition, which was organised by its family crisis support service and funded by the Social Welfare Department.

The charity said the event “might have caused misunderstanding and concern”, although its original intent was to encourage transforming conflicts into non-violent expressions of love.

The charity thanked the public for their feedback, reaffirmed its commitment to opposing domestic violence and promised to continue promoting family harmony through more appropriate campaigns.

According to the now-cancelled contest’s promotional material, primary school pupils were invited to turn household items often associated with domestic violence in Hong Kong – including kitchen knives, belts, insecticide, wine bottles, clothes hangers and umbrellas – into cartoon mascots as “weapons of love”.

The contest was originally scheduled to run from August 15 to October 15 this year, with winning designs to be printed on reusable bags and distributed to schools.

Promotional slogans included “Rather than using a sharp knife [to attack], slice fruit instead and share the sweetness” and “Rather than spraying insecticide, extinguish sharp tongues with praise”.