Instructions to avoid sexual assaults in 'Big Brother'

Zeppelin TV has presented the largest protocol made

for cases of sexual abuse before the cameras of Spanish television.

The production company of

―the main

Spanish, who disappeared from the grid last year, when the details of the alleged sexual abuse that a participant had suffered under the gaze of the team became known - has put together a document before the return of the program, which is preparing for 2021. The text, 13 pages, foresees measures such as: training the team on sexism and machismo, avoiding situations with high alcohol intake and bringing the contestants together specifically to establish "unequivocally" what is the framework for action and the policy of "zero tolerance" before abuses.

The protocol comes almost a year after Telecinco's star program, one of the most watched on Spanish television, was suspended indefinitely despite its spectacular audience data (a 36% share in some galas, when a 40% considered paralyzing the country).

The decision was made after the outbreak of the scandal, which led to a large leakage of advertisers.

Up to 40 brands asked Mediaset not to advertise during

.

The case in question, to which the document does not make any direct reference, is that of Carlota Prado, a 25-year-old from Malaga who in November 2017 was competing in

One Friday night in which the contestants were awarded alcohol, she, who had not had access to enough food, lost consciousness.

José María López, another contestant with whom she had previously had sexual intercourse, took her to bed and allegedly abused her under the sheets (the case is pending a trial date; the prosecution asks López for two years and six months in prison).

The act was seen by a supervisor on duty, who did not know how to react and did not stop the crime in time.

The next day, after having breakfast and acting normally with her alleged abuser, who had not told her anything about what happened, Prado was taken aside.

The staff of Zeppelin TV showed him, without further context, the images of what happened.

There were cameras filming his reaction, which was a panic attack.

They only stopped when the executives allowed him to hang out with Lopez to yell at him.

Neither the chain nor the producer have been denounced, only López.

The production company also filed a lawsuit.

If that was a bloody example of how a case of sexual abuse should not be managed in a professional and television environment, the document sometimes seems like a string of lessons learned.

"It is not recommended to record the conversation" when the possible victim is told what happened, says one of his points;

Each contestant will be asked to give a name of a trusted person to contact in case of possible abuse.

Miguel Lorente, forensic and former delegate of the Government against Gender Violence, was consulted on how communication should be in this type of cases.

The resulting protocol, according to this specialist, "is a document of basic questions that should already be known."

“What is striking is that we still have to have protocols for these types of events and behaviors.

This shows that normality is sexist and that we will not advance without measures to undo that normality.

Not only do women not find adequate answers when they suffer this violence, but they also suffer consequences derived from the events.

If the attack has been recorded, the protocol continues, "the images should not be viewed without first having prepared the person for receiving the content."

If the incident occurs within a relationship, action must be taken immediately to avoid moments of "normalcy" for the couple, since when the aggressor is the couple, the emotional impact may be greater.

"Sexual assaults and abuse can occur either with the victim's awareness or without her being aware," warns the document, which encourages the organization to react "quickly" so that these behaviors are not normalized.

“You have to be especially careful” when faced with a “traumatic” case or experience.

In closed groups like a

type program

, where there is hardly any contact with the outside, "emotions and feelings are enhanced and have more intensity."

When an abuse or mistreatment occurs in “high visibility” environments, the effects “can be more damaging, since it is the privacy of the person that is exposed”.

If what happened is disclosed, "the pointing and social stigmatization appear," the document continues.

This is known as the re-victimization of the assaulted woman, an effect that hinders her recovery.

That was precisely one of the things that Carlota Prado denounced in her statement before the judge in 2018: that she began to hear her trauma from the mouths of others.

“From all over Spain!

Of people in the subway, people in the street, people on the bus ... Of people who were even acquaintances of mine ... ", he lamented then." They have come to threaten me, to tell me that I am scum, until I had the very healthy idea of ​​leaving all social networks.

It was by all the avenues you can imagine.

They have even put letters under the door for my mother, they have made life impossible for my sister at work.

That I have sold myself to Telecinco, which is all a lie, that I am leaving a disastrous image for the women to whom that happens ”.

Three lines of action

In fact, if there is something good about the document, it is that it leaves in writing concepts about respect, victimization and individual rights that are not usually handled on sets, much less on reality television sets.

It is proposed in three lines of action: before the program, during and after.

Before the program, the training of the team "on equality, gender, sexism, machismo and gender violence" stands out.

And he emphasizes that “in a situation of certain abuse there cannot be neutrality between aggressor and victim.

Everything that is not taking a position with the victim and his personal situation is doing it on the side of the aggressor ”.

During the program, he emphasizes that complaints must be made "as soon as possible", it is recommended to "deeply empathize" with those who suffer the abuse or aggression.

"The fact should not be approached as a problem for the organization," he warns.

It is recommended to place yourself on the same plane as the victim, "not above or adopting a paternalistic or taxing position."

Recording the conversation is not recommended.

It is a confidential matter and as such it should remain this way.

After the program, they undertake to offer psychotherapeutic support to the victim: "It is advisable to try to maintain follow-up."

The recommendations "are valid regardless of the gender of those involved," they point out in the document.

The bulk of rapes and abuses are committed against women, according to official data.

The macro-survey on Violence against Women 2019, prepared by the Government Delegation against Gender Violence, shows that 13.7% of the female population aged 16 or over have suffered sexual violence throughout their lives from any person ―Current partner, past partners or people with whom you have no relationship.

The production company herself admits how much she needed these rules: "Our experience in managing this type of matter has shown us the need to continually review current procedures, make an honest and constructive reflection, and propose improvements on how many lessons have been learned", it reads in the document.

will return to the Telecinco grill, his chain since 2000, in 2021.