An Italian festival in which women take part in a banana-eating contest has sparked outrage.
A festival featuring a female banana-eating contest has sparked anger in Italy
More than 5,000 people attended this year's Festa degli Uomini in the village of Monteprato di Nimi to celebrate men's virility but the festival has been slammed for sending a "devastating message" to young boys.
The event was first held in 1977 after an earthquake devastated the region and also recalls an extraordinary period from 1950 to 1965 where the only babies born in the village were predominantly male.
Fertility is celebrated at the festival with phallic symbols and a number of events are held across a two-day period.
Gabriella Carnieri, president of Telefono Rosa, an organisation that supports female victims of domestic violence, said: "It is very serious, not only for women but also the community. What message are we giving boys? A devastating message, it is absurd to pass it off as a party."