03. 10. 2007

STATE TV PROMOTES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CAUSES UPROAR

BELGRADE, 3 October 2007, (B92, Beta) - A state television (RTS) reality show broadcast last night has stirred spirits from bloggers to lawmakers.

The show, called "48 Hours Wedding", which follows two days in the life of a couple about to be married, and pays all the expenses of the event, last night introduced a woman who publicly stated that her boyfriend, whom she was about to marry, beat her on a regular basis.

The program also features the mother of the bride-to-be, who condones her future son-in-law's abuse by saying that her daughter "deserved it."

Bloggers were the first to react this morning, drawing attention to the scandalous programming policy by a television station that advertises itself as "the public service".

Later in the day, RTS chief Aleksandar Tijanić, a Koštunica loyal, appointed to the office on a Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) ticket, spoke in defense of the program, dubbing it "a splendid socio-cultural analysis," which "in no way promoted domestic violence."

But the Liberal-Democrat (LDP) MPs saw it differently in parliament this afternoon, calling on top state television figures to be sacked, and reminding the public that Tijanić, a highly controversial media personality, has a history of misogynist outbursts.

LDP lawmaker Slobodan Maraš was not "in the least surprised that the show was broadcast."

"For the simple reason that Mr. Tijanić has spoken about women many times in a very primitive manner. I will quote his Dnevni Telegraf column from 1998: 'A woman must look like a St. Bernard, with a natural fur coat, she must be big, well-trained, with a necklace around her neck, barking only when a stranger approaches her,'" Maraš reminded reporters.

"There is one woman, though, he spoke well of, and that is [Milošević widow] Mirjana Marković," he added.

Tijanić, meanwhile, in another statement, tried to deflect the scandal to the field of politics, saying that "the story" about the reality program was a way to "use the parliament to terrorize the public" and "attack political opponents."

For this, he pointed the finger at the LDP, "some Radicals and some Socialists."

And while the human rights organizations and those fighting family violence expressed outrage, stressing that Serbia, a country with a serious problem of domestic violence and poorly implemented laws to protect the victims, could well do without an entertainment program presenting the criminal behavior as acceptable, a parliamentary committee for gender equality has asked Tijanić to step down.

The decision taken by the committee members was unanimous. Their move leaves Tijanić space to submit resignation rather than be sacked. However, the committee does not appoint heads of state institutions, including the media, so it remains to be seen how the authorities with jurisdiction in the matter will react.

RTS is financed with the Serbian tax payers' money through the state budget. Additionally, every household in the country is under obligation to pay a fee of just under EUR 5 each month. On top of that, the state television is also commercial, broadcasting advertisements and popular reality shows.