[ad_1]
- Hugh schofield
- BBC, Paris
Photo posted, fake images
French Citizenship Minister Marilyn Sheba criticized the reality show
In France, the government has condemned a reality show for its handling of the so-called “scarf ceremony,” in which young brides are supposed to prove their virginity.
Citizenship Minister Marilyn Sheba wrote to the French Broadcasting Supervisory Authority, saying that she is “angry” with the “Amazing Gypsy Weddings” program, which does not criticize the practice, which includes subjecting the bride to a test of virginity on her part. relatives just before their marriage.
The program, available free of charge on the TFX channel, reviews the bonding and marriage traditions of the Catalan gypsy community in the town of Perpignan, in the south of France.
In an episode that aired in February, viewers saw, in the midst of preparations for a lavish wedding, the bed on which a virginity test would be performed.
Attached to the scene was the following comment: “In this bed, a woman, who has undergone special training, tests the strength of Naomi’s hymen with a thin handkerchief. The handkerchief ceremony is inherited and inevitable. If Naomi had sexual intercourse. , the wedding will be canceled. “
In other scenes, women from the gypsy community explained the importance of this heritage. One of them said: “It is the man’s family.” She added, “so they would know that he took a beautiful, virgin woman.”
Another said: “Since she was a child, she has grown up knowing that she has to undergo this test to have all her dresses and a wedding.”
In response to a question about whether men should be asked similar questions, another replied: “It is not. The principle is that if a young man does not go out to celebrate and see other girls before marriage, he will miss him after marriage. You must go through this experience. “
Minister Sheba said in her letter that she was outraged by the friendly tone of the show.
He added: “The institution of marriage on Republican foundations was completely run over, without providing any appropriate comment.”
He considered the matter “even more disgusting” because the National Assembly had just voted in favor of a law “that prohibits virginity tests and ensures that both spouses agree to marry.”
A clause in the French “isolationism” law – currently in the Senate – prohibits doctors from issuing virginity certificates. The clause is primarily aimed at the Muslim community in France, as some families insist on proving the girl’s virginity before marriage. Opinions diverge on the scope of this practice.
Doctors who issue virginity certificates, according to the text voted by the National Assembly, will risk a sentence of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros (17,600 dollars). Non-medical actors who conduct virginity tests, even with the consent of the woman being tested, can face formal charges of rape.
According to the World Health Organization, an examination of the hymen with the eyes or fingers cannot prove whether the woman or girl has had vaginal intercourse or not. The organization says this is also a violation of human rights.
Sheba had previously complained of gender discrimination on French television. Last year, when she was Minister for Gender Equality, she published a report criticizing reality TV for its entrenchment of stereotypes.
“Reality shows use the excessive femininity of the women who participate in them and the excessive masculinity of the men. From there emanates a vision of the relations between men and women characterized by stereotypes and inequality ”, the report points out.
The minister has also complained about popular French television programs about the wedding, such as “Four Weddings for a Honeymoon”, in which husbands are judged and compared with each other on the quality of their weddings, and “Married At first sight “, where the couple gets married a few hours after their first meeting and the cameras follow their conjugal journey.
