Tunisian talk show host 'tells rape victim to marry her rapist', sparks outrage

Tunis: A Tunisian talk show host sparked outrage across the country after he told a pregnant rape survivor to marry her alleged rapist and 'close the case'.

According to a report in the Independent, Ala Chebbi who presents the show Andi Mankolek, was interviewing a woman named Hajar when she told him that she was raped by three members of her family.

Andi Mankolek translates to 'I've something to tell you'.

During the interview, Hajar told Chebbi that she had been sexually assaulted since she was 14 years old.

She also said that she is eight months pregnant and was forced to drop out of school due to her health and poverty. She said that she currently worked at their family farm.

Hajar told the interviewer that she was thrown out of the house when her family learnt about her pregnancy, to which he replied, "whoever did it should marry her to close the case."

When asked about who she thinks the father of her unborn child is, Hajar said that although she was unclear about it, she suspected it was her stepmother's brother.

Furthermore, the interviewer also told her that she should have reported the sexual abuse to her father and asked forgiveness for getting pregnant. He also allegedly told Hajar, "Admit that you are at fault."

Chebbi's insensitive remarks sparked a nationwide outrage with many people criticising him on social media.

Defending himself, Chebbi said that his remarks had been taken out of context and that Hajar had made a mistake by enduring the pain in silence. "This is the case of many Tunisian girls who have been raped and did not say anything. Silence is the core of this case," he added.