Dutchman covers dating ads that encourage partners to cheat
Bilal de Zwart covered a SecondLove advertisement with tape. Photo LinkedIn, Bilal de Zwart
Western Europe
The Dutch dating website SecondLove encourages partners who want to cheat on their spouses. It advertises on bus stations to promote this. The Dutch Bilal de Zwart thinks this is morally rejectable. Therefore, he covered the advertisements with tape and shared his action on LinkedIn.
"I have blocked your promotion for a while. The healthcare system is full of broken families, hostile divorces and damaged children. You can continue disrupting relationships and families as soon as we have some more space in the care system. Then we are ready to restore the damage with love." That is the message Bilal de Zwart wrote on LinkedIn, where he shared pictures of his action.
Infidelity
The last sentence is sarcastic, De Zwart explains to the Dutch Reformed daily Reformatorisch Dagblad. "I just wanted to draw attention to the urgency of the issue. Children have to wait for a year sometimes to receive help."
It is not the first time that De Zwart covers posters of SecondLove, he says. "However, this is the first time I impulsively decided to post pictures of this action online. Children's lives are destroyed by the infidelity that this poster stimulates. I see so in my youth care job."
Protect
About 80 to 90 per cent of De Zwart's clients are from an unstable or broken family. According to him, these children often deal with aggression or depression. "This sort of poster leads to violent divorces, which impacts society. Just think about the costs of youth health care."
Of course, people can cheat on their partners without using SecondLove, De Zwart acknowledges. Yet, he is certain that cheating should not be encouraged. "And my children see the advertisements too. I want to protect them against it."
Vandal
De Zwart's message went viral, much to his surprise. The reactions differ significantly. Most people support his action, but some are critical as well. De Zwart is, for example, accused of acting like a preacher or a vandal. Others tell him that he can be fined for his action.
Yet, the Dutchman is convinced that cheating is wrong. "I have been raised as a Christian but converted to Islam. Both religions stress the importance of a healthy family situation. Cheating is out of the question. You choose one partner for your life and do your best for him or her."
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