Morocco TV says sorry for make-up for battered women

A Moroccan television channel partly-owned by the state has apologised following outrage over the broadcast of a programme tutoring women on what make-up to use after they have been hit.

The programme was broadcast by 2M last week on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The programme "Sabahiyate" showed "the type of make-up to use when a woman has been hit".

A woman with a swollen face was depicted with the presenter showing how to ''camouflage the reddish part''. The green applied with a brush should be followed by "an orange corrector then yellow, then a foundation", she said.

The presenter clarified that the woman had not really been hit, the bruises were just "cinematic effects".

The aim of the tutorial was to "provide solutions to women who need such advice so they can continue with their daily lives and go to work".

On Monday, 2M said it was sorry in a video posted on Facebook.

"We have always put women at the centre of our debates and have taken the defence of their rights to heart," it said. "We apologise for broadcasting the makeup segment, the result of an error of judgment on our part, and beg your indulgence and understanding."

The video gained more attention when it was uploaded to the channel's website after its initial broadcast on Wednesday. Social media reacted with outrage and shock Friday, after which it was removed from the website.

"So 2M has decided to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with anti-bruise makeup!" was one comment, AFP reported.

Another social media user noted: "Ladies, 2M has the solution if you get punched in the face by your husband, father or brother."

"Black eye? Bruising? No problem! 2M's makeup artist has a miracle product!" wrote another.

Last Friday, the channel's management had issued a statement offering "sincere apologies given the sensitivity and seriousness of the subject" and called the sequence "completely inappropriate .

Human Rights Watch acting women's rights division director Janet Walsh wrote on Monday that Morocco was "still discussing a draft domestic violence law" 

The New York-based HRW has said that violence against women is common in the North African country, AFP said.

In an official 2009-2010 study, it was found that almost two thirds of Moroccan women had been physically, psychologically, sexually or economically abused, and that of those, some 55 per cent said they had suffered domestic violence.

(With inputs from AFP)