UPDATE: “Enough beauty” here… Outrage after an MP’s comments on rape and migrants
According to recent reports, the following story has emerged from the international scene.
A controversy broke out on Tuesday in Tunisia after statements by a member of parliament on migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, made during a parliamentary session devoted to migration issues. These comments sparked a wave of reactions, notably from human rights organizations. Speaking in the Assembly on Monday, Tarak Mahdi, elected official from Sfax, spoke of a “threat to social peace” linked, according to him, to irregular immigration. He affirmed that “these people must leave at all costs”, in a context where the subject regularly fuels the Tunisian public debate. A “retrograde” mentality During his exchange with the Minister of the Interior, the MP also referred to accusations of violence targeting sub-Saharan migrants. He declared: “That an African woman is raped, that doesn’t happen, there is enough beauty in Tunisia”, comments accompanied by laughter in the hemicycle. The rapid diffusion of this sequence on social networks led to numerous condemnations. The Tunisian League for Human Rights denounced a “serious and shocking declaration emanating from a deputy and pronounced under the dome”, considering that it “constitutes the explicit expression of a retrograde mentality which justifies violence and trivializes the crime of rape”. Attack on human dignity For its part, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights pointed out “a flagrant attack on human dignity and a serious justification of sexual violence and rape against women”, denouncing a speech deemed racist and sexist.Our file on TunisiaFaced with these criticisms, Tarak Mahdi assured that his remarks had been taken out of context. “It was never my intention to encourage or justify rape, or to undermine human dignity,” he said, adding: “If there was an attack on the dignity of Tunisians, and an attack on human dignity regardless of nationality, then of course I apologize.”
Editor’s Insight:
This development could have far-reaching consequences for global politics in the months ahead.
The implications of this story extend beyond borders and could affect millions of people globally.
We encourage our readers to follow this developing story for the latest information.
Source: This article was originally published in another language by 20Minutes – Actu Monde and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.