Press Release, 06.03.2014

A famous Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselyov [he is best known as a promoter of the Kremlin’s policies, denigrator of the West] became winner of the Sexist of the Year 2013 award in the category “Sexism in Mass Media” following the results of online voting. The award was founded by the initiative group For Feminism with the support of YABLOKO’s Gender faction.

Dmitry Kiselyov gained the nomination for the award for his statements on the news item “The hockey world range itself on the side of Varlamov” on the TV programme Vesti Nedeli (News of the Week), Rossiya 24 Channel. Kiselyov not only tried to manipulate public opinion aimed to approve of the right of a strong person to do violence but also wanted to actualize the myth on fake statements about domestic violence which are supposedly made up by women for selfish motives or by order of thirdsman.

Chair of YABLOKO’s Gender faction Galina Mikhaleva and the founder of the initiative group For Feminism, a famous journalist Nataly Bitten were presenters at the ceremony.

Galina Mikhaleva opened the ceremony:”The announcement of the Sexist of the Year award takes place with our support for the fourth year as YABLOKO is the only party in Russia concerned about gender equality issue which is one of the United Nations’ goals in the third millennium”.

Natalya Bitten said that more than 2000 people participated in online voting. “We consider sexism an antisocial phenomenon as this ideology normalizes and justifies the systematic gender discrimination. As it is an ideology, we fight it with ideologic methods,” said Natalya Bitten.

Deputy of the State Duma Elena Mizulina gained the award in the “Anti-Women Polices” category for her “State Concept of Family Police until 2025”. The “Concept” suggests the imposing of ideology of traditional family values practiced in the Russian Empire in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The stress on the women’s reproductive role as the only value of their personality doesn’t give a woman an opportunity to exercise her rights on education, choice of way of living and participation in public life,” say the founders of the award.

The advertising campaign of an insurance company KASKO “AlfaStrakhovaniye” won the award in the “Sexism in Advertising” category. More than 400 billboards were situated in 23 cities of the country. Women of different nationalities were shown on the billboards with humiliating advertising texts “Bought a German? Take out insurance quickly without a prelude!”

The concept of the advertisement confirms the sexual objectivation of women and is also a hidden propaganda of sex trafficking. Moreover, the advertisement has a racist character.

Olga Valayeva won in the category “Women Making Anti-Women Statements”for her article “The way women destroy manhood in men”. The article actualizes a myth that a woman as a poison miscreant that deprives a man of his natural freedom.

Diplomas and symbolic presents will be sent to the winners by post.

Galina Mikhaleva and Nataly Bitten invited the guests of the ceremony to participate in the rally on March 8 for protection of women’s rights. This year the rally will be conducted under the slogan “Women against war” in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

The Sexist of the Year award was founded in 2010.it aims to attract attention of the people to the problem of sexism and initiate adoption of the law which would guarantee the liquidation the language of hatred against women in mass media.

Last year’s winners were businessman and public person German Sterligov for hate speech against women and for his fight against the law on gender equality and Orthodox psychologist Irina Medvedeva who spoke against adoption of the law against domestic violence on the grounds that it could be allegedly used for prosecution of “innocent” defendants “provoked” by their victims .