Warning: This article discusses sexual assault and kidnapping.
Welsh singer, Duffy has spoken out in an open letter to the chief of Netflix Reed Hastings regarding the film 365 Days. Duffy has accused Netflix of glamourising rape and sex trafficking by screening the hit Polish film.
In her letter she said: “It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such ‘cinema’, that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a ‘sexy’ movie. I just can’t imagine how Netflix could overlook how careless, insensitive, and dangerous this is.” She added that the film “glamorises the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape.”
She concluded the letter by providing resources and saying; “You have not realized how 365 Days has brought great hurt to those who have endured the pains and horrors that this film glamorises, for entertainment and for dollars. What I and others who know these injustices need is the exact opposite – a narrative of truth, hope, and to be given a voice.”
Duffy has previously spoken out about her own experiences in February of this year. She was allegedly kidnapped and brought to another country where she was allegedly held captive for multiple days and repeatedly drugged and raped. In a now deleted Instagram post, she explained her story and talked about the music she would be releasing about her experience. In the post, she said; “The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it. But in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine.”
The film, which was adapted from a book by Blanka Lipińska, has become a Top 10 hit on Netflix. It follows the story of a woman who is kidnapped and is told by her captor that he will keep her captive for a full year, and in that time, she has to fall in love with him and she will have a life of luxury with him. It is classes as an “erotic romantic drama” being compared to the popular Fifty Shades of Grey series.
Netflix did not produce the film, but picked it up in June after it ran in cinemas around Europe earlier in the year. While they have not commented on Duffy’s letter, they have said that there are warnings on the film to warn viewers. A spokesperson for the streaming service has said; “We believe strongly in giving our members around the world more choice and control over their Netflix viewing experience.”
Duffy shared organisations that need recognition, especially as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons approaches on the 30th of July. They are as follows; catwinternational.org, hopeforjustice.org, polarisproject.org, antislavery.org, stopthetraffik.org, unseenuk.org, notforsalecampaign.org, ijm.org, a21.org and madeforthem.org.
