Sabhiyat, a daily
programme on Moroccan national channel 2M,
recently featured a segment teaching women how to disguise
domestic abuse injuries. “Unfortunately, this is how things are,” the host mentions
before outlining tips for how foundation can hide bruises. The segment ends
dismissively, telling viewers “We hope these beauty tips will help you carry on
with your daily life” – as though domestic violence can and should be easily
ignored by its victims.
As has been
well documented, violence against women is not a new issue in Morocco. 55% of its married women experience domestic
violence. A few years ago, Amina Filali killed herself after being
forced to marry
her rapist. The United Nations and Human Rights Watch remain concerned by the limited
legal protections available to victims. See more about this and
preventive actions in a piece that appeared last year via The Conversation.
Given the
statistics, this news segment sadly was not news. What was shocking, however,
was its open acknowledgement of the problem even as it flagrantly dismissed it.
The presenter apparently “considers this taunting experienced by women as
normal” (see The Concerned Moroccan Citizens
campaign). Rather
than supporting abuse victims, this kind of reporting legitimises the violence
and all but removes blame from the abusers.
Dar Si Hmad for Development, Education and
Culture is a local
non-governmental organisation working in Southwest Morocco. Our work includes
women’s empowerment and capacity building, girls’ science education, and
intercultural exchange through study abroad. In the wake of the 2M segment, we
asked some of our young partners to respond. Here’s what they have to say:
Nadia, age 25
I have
enormous concerns about this topic. We are in a country that considers girls
the main problem causing sexual harassment. I will never forget my first time
in a grand taxi (public transit cars) between Agadir and my hometown. I had
just spent two weeks away from home for the first time in my life. I viewed the
taxi driver as a father or brother, like anybody else doing his job and helping
people get home safely. I knew something was wrong when I started getting weird
vibes from his glances in the rear-view mirror. Immediately, I started to
question myself. How could a man his age act this way with a teenage girl?
Maybe I am his daughter or his sister’s age? I was afraid, uncomfortable, and
shocked. I was also blaming myself for getting in an empty taxi and wondering
if my hair or my outfit had encouraged this. He was smiling, and asking me
questions. I was pretending to listen to music, but he wouldn't look away or
stop talking to me. I put on my sunglasses to hide tears, and I wanted to
scream. I was squeezing myself smaller in hopes he wouldn’t try to touch me.
When we arrived in Agadir, other people got in, and I got out. I have never
felt such feelings in my life. I was in his cage, and he enjoyed looking at me
stressed. Through this experience I learned that while we still have
stereotypes about girls in our societies, I
will never trust bosses, taxi drivers, workers, or teachers, until we stop
blaming the victim.
Zahra, age 21
Being
beaten by your husband or anyone is inappropriate. What's worse is that the
media makes it into a makeup tutorial, which makes it seem like this behavior
permissible. We don’t just paint a
wall covered in cracks, because no matter how many layers of paint you put on,
the cracks will appear again sooner or later. Wives are not punching bags for
husbands to take out their anger on. We have all experienced some sort
of sexual harassment, but the bigger issue is that often nobody intervenes,
because this has become so normal.
For
instance, once I was riding a crowded bus, and I noticed that something strange
was happening between a couple standing near me. The guy seemed like he was
trying to do something, but the girl didn’t speak up. She looked so
embarrassed. I made a fuss about it, and even when it seemed like he was going
to hit me for saying something, NO ONE SAID ANYTHING. They just watched. There
are places to go if these things happen to you, but unfortunately married women
don’t go because they are afraid of shouha (shame). Of course norms,
traditions, family views, illiteracy, play a big role in the spread of this
phenomena.
Abdelkrim, age 26
As a young man I think domestic abuse is a gendered crime
which is deeply rooted in the societal inequality between women and men. It
takes place “because she is a woman” and happens disproportionately to women. I
also think that women are more likely than men to experience multiple incidents
of abuse. Domestic abuse exists as part of violence against women and girls,
which also includes different forms of family violence such as forced marriage.
This kind of abuse is very popular in Morocco, which is a shame for our
society. I believe that the last show in 2M normalizes violence against women,
and helps them cover it with makeup. Instead, it is very important to raise victims’ awareness and orientate them
to get the help they need from authorities. However, I also see this
show as a step forward, since it launches discussions worldwide about this
issue and will certainly push the authorities to get the attention needed for
the victims.
Jamila, age 20
The media creates
a false image for women: either she is well educated and elegant or manageable
and traditional. The media is not fair
with these women. Instead of spreading their success and informing the
audience of changing dynamics, it misshapes their real image into a false and
bad one. It tells women they have to obey their husbands instead of defending
their basic rights.
Salma, age 20
The fact that domestic violence is still an issue around the
world, when we are getting ready for 2017, puts a great deal of responsibility
on the media’s shoulders to spread anti-domestic violence messages. Unfortunately,
the daily morning 2M TV program is portraying domestic violence as a given and
morally accepted behaviour. It acts like a woman’s bruises are her
responsibility to cover. In fact, the
bruises are the alarming sign of the society’s failure to stand up for her.
Sara, age 26
We live in
a patriarchal society that still believes that it is the wife’s responsibility to
keep her family in harmony. We teach women they need to keep being patient or
they will destroy her family. It
is very weird to know that being beaten is a normal act. The weirdest thing is to cover up abuse instead of voicing your
opinion and talking about your right of being respected.
Abdelhaq, age 23
‘Woman’ is
a very priceless word for me. She’s my mother, my first love, the person I’ll
do anything to keep alive. I won’t accept anyone saying things against or
hurting her. Woman is my sister, my auntie, my friend, my everyone. Nobody has
the right to touch a woman because of her gender or because the world gives her
fewer chances. A woman is a human
before she is a woman. She has rights we are obliged to peacefully
respect. She has dreams of success and gifted hands, just like men do. As such,
I totally respect and support her.
Souad, age 22
Seeing this
show reminded of the conclusion I came to in my bachelor's thesis. I discovered
that the media is a way of reinforcing dangerous stereotypes about women. I
analyzed two Moroccan advertisements. In both, women are obedient, naive and
almost always silent. These assumptions are transmitted between generations. If we don’t change something, the next
generation will perceive women the same way their parents’ generation did.
Sara, age 20
I have
never personally experienced violence, because I am lucky to come from a
peaceful, honest home. We’re a patriarchal society, and violence is not only
linked to husbands; it also comes from big brothers and uncles. Unfortunately,
I have encountered sexual harassment, mostly verbal, and it’s upsetting to see
that my favorite TV programs are giving make up tutorials on how to cover beatings.
It’s really a shame to see how a serious issue has become so normal. Instead of covering it up, they should be
talking about how to address the roots of this issue. Husbands need to
control their anger and respect their wives.
Oumhani, age 21
Like many others, I encounter sexual harassment in the
streets and it is mostly verbal. It is very offensive and insulting even when
only verbal – and I wish the Moroccan government would criminalize that act. This
should be a free country where men as well as women are free to wear whatever
they want without being harassed. To help protect that freedom sexual harassment
of any kind should be met with extreme sentences
The 2M TV segment is actually no surprise to me – the
channel isn’t very good. Instead of wasting five minutes making a senseless
beauty tutorial, they should have taken this dangerous matter into real consideration.
They could have brought a legitimate coach, psychologist, or lawyer to teach us
how to take action and not be afraid.
And however the bruises
may look, women will always be strong and beautiful. No make-up necessary.
No comments:
Post a Comment