Center for Sexual Violence finds media coverage of Ali B. case "unbalanced"

The Center for Sexual Violence hopes that the conviction of Ali B. will help the victims and their families to come to terms with the events. Director Iva Bicanic also believes that "the sensation and uproar in society that preceded this case and the role of the media provides food for thought."

Bicanic is convinced that the reporting on the Ali B. case was often unbalanced. "We realized that people were bothered by it. That it was too much and that it was triggering", explains the director. "A little less would also have been good to inform the public, and at the same time, the victims would have had more room to avoid the issue."

Bicanic advocates that the media should think in advance about what they want to achieve by reporting on such cases. "Sexual violence is a major social problem. That is why we need everyone, including the media, to tackle the subject effectively and responsibly," she says.

Ali B. was sentenced to two years in prison at the court in Haarlem on Friday. The 42-year-old rapper was found guilty of raping a woman during a songwriting retreat in Heiloo in 2018 and was acquitted of the charge of sexual assault against the same victim. The former "The Voice of Holland" coach was also convicted of the attempted rape of singer Ellen ten Dam when the two were filming the music show "Ali B en de Muziekkaravaan" in Morocco 10 years ago.