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A prominent Hong Kong charity has cancelled a student eco-bag design competition aimed at tackling domestic violence following widespread public outrage over its request for participants to derive inspiration from items frequently associated with household abuse. Po Leung Kuk announced on Thursday that it had canceled the competition, which was run by its family crisis support service and supported by the Social Welfare Department.

The charity explained that the event "might have caused misunderstanding and concern", despite its original aim to promote using non-violent methods of expressing love. The organization expressed gratitude for the public's feedback, reiterated its dedication to fighting domestic violence, and assured it would continue advocating for family unity through more suitable initiatives.

The now-cancelled contest's promotional materials invited primary school students to transform household objects typically linked to domestic violence in Hong Kong, such as kitchen knives, belts, insecticide, wine bottles, clothes hangers, and umbrellas, into cartoon characters known as "weapons of love". The competition was originally planned to take place from August 15 to October 15 this year, with the winners' designs to be printed on reusable bags and distributed to schools.

Promotional phrases included "Instead of wielding a sharp knife [to harm], carve fruit instead and share its sweetness" and "Rather than spraying insecticide, silence sharp tongues with compliments". The campaign poster quickly gained traction on social media, igniting intense discussions. Critics contended that the contest romanticized domestic violence, overlooked victims' suffering, and normalized violent imagery for children.

Some netizens argued that turning instruments of abuse into mascots would be tantamount to inflicting further harm on domestic violence survivors.