Four toy companies in Sweden have been criticised because their catalogues do not include enough or any pictures of non-white children.
Swedish newspaper Metro analysed the catalogues of Toys R Us, Lekia, Leklus and BR Leksaker and found that one directory featured just two pictures of non-white kids while the remaining three had none at all. The publication found that in the build-up to the festive period, nearly all of the photos were of white children playing with potential Christmas presents.
Campaign group Equalisters, which wants to correct ethnic minority imbalances in business, media and culture, has stated that the catalogues do not reflect diversity in the Scandinavian country, where roughly 20 per cent of the population either comes from or has family that comes from other regions of the world.
Equalisters chairwoman Seher Yilmaz described the catalogues as being “too white” and said it was “sad” for non-white kids. She noted that the issue could affect children’s sense of what they can be and do in the future as well as how welcome they feel in the country.
She also advised parents of white children to join the group’s campaign efforts, pointing out to them that if the situation was reversed they would likely feel bad. She insisted that it was everyone’s responsibility to try and change things so they reflect how the country looks in the media, in business and in movies these days.