Ivorian TV host Yves de M’Bella at the centre of a rape show row after a programme called La Télé D’ici Vacances on the privately owned New Ivorian Channel, has been suspended for one month from all TV and radio stations by the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA, regulator).
The Ivorian regulator said in a statement that it “noted that in the conduct of the programme, Mr. M’Bella invited the former convict for rape to recreate on the set his modus operandi using a dummy.
The reenactment of an act of rape, live and at prime time TV, supported by obscene language, “constitutes an apology for rape and seriously undermines the dignity of women, morality and the sensitivity of young people,” the HACA said.
The HACA, which invited the New Ivorian Channel (NCI) to be more vigilant in its programming, urged the channel to take all initiatives to raise awareness of the population on violence against women.
The rape show sparked outrage among several women’s rights organizations.
AP/ls/lb/as/APA