Duffy wrote the letter after revealing earlier this year that she'd previously been drugged, kidnapped and raped. Photo / Getty Images
Duffy wrote the letter after revealing earlier this year that she'd previously been drugged, kidnapped and raped. Photo / Getty Images
Duffy has accused Netflix of "glamourising the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape".
The 36-year-old singer has written an open letter to streaming service, accusing Netflix of being "irresponsible" for broadcasting the film '365 Days', which tells the story of a woman who is imprisoned by a man who gives her a year to fall in love with him.
Duffy wrote the letter after revealing earlier this year that she'd previously been drugged, kidnapped and raped.
My goodness. I too always wondered where Duffy went. This is so sad. But I am glad she is doing well! https://t.co/DljH98c1jf
In a letter addressed to Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings, she said: "I don't want to be in this position to have to write to you, but the virtue of my suffering obliges me to do so, because of a violent experience that I endured of the kind that you have chosen to present as 'adult erotica'.
"'365 Days' glamourises the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape. This should not be anyone's idea of entertainment, nor should it be described as such, or be commercialised in this manner.
"I write these words (ones I cannot believe I am writing in 2020, with so much hope and progress gained in recent years), as an estimated 25 million people are currently trafficked around the world, not to mention the untold amounts of people uncounted."
Duffy wrote the letter after revealing earlier this year that she'd previously been drugged, kidnapped and raped. Photo / Getty Images
The film has proven to be a huge hit with Netflix viewers, but Duffy has accused the streaming service of behaving in a "careless, insensitive, and dangerous" manner.
She continued: "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. It has even prompted some young women, recently, to jovially ask Michele Morrone, the lead actor in the film, to kidnap them.
"We all know Netflix would not host material glamorising paedophilia, racism, homophobia, genocide, or any other crimes against humanity. The world would rightly rise up and scream. Tragically, victims of trafficking and kidnapping are unseen, and yet in '365 Days' their suffering is made into a 'erotic drama', as described by Netflix."
Duffy hopes people who've watched the film will ultimately reflect on the "reality of kidnapping and trafficking, of force and sexual exploitation".
She wrote: "If all of you at Netflix take nothing from this open letter but these final words, I will be content. You have not realised 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."
Where to get help: • Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • Youth services: (06) 3555 906 • Youthline: 0800 376 633 • Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7) • Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm) • Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7) • Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 • CASPER Suicide Prevention If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you're in danger now: • Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. • Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you. • Take the children with you. • Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information: • Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz • Shine, free national helpline 9am-11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz • It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz • Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence • National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent.
