Women’s Aid has weighed in on Big Brother after uproar over Omar’s ‘toxic’ behaviour during an argument with Rhianna.
The charity criticised the ITV hit reality series after last night’s episode, which saw Omar, 21, swear and shout at co-star Rhianna, also 21, when the pair had an argument, ending in their break-up.
Women’s Aid revealed that viewers had been in touch following the episode, and accused the long-running show of giving a platform to ‘worrying’ behaviours.
Veronica Oakeshott, the charity’s head of external affairs, told Metro: ‘The nature of abuse means that it often begins with ‘red flag’ coercive and controlling behaviours like isolating you from friends or repeatedly putting you down, before escalating into other forms of abuse.
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‘Coercive control creates invisible chains and a sense of fear that impacts every element of a survivor’s life.
‘It’s worrying to see behaviours like this being given a platform in popular media like Big Brother. We’ve been contacted by many viewers who have expressed concern.
‘Not only does Big Brother risk minimising survivors’ experiences, it also risks presenting abuse as a form of entertainment. We must do better to call out and reject abuse as soon as we see it, so women and children can learn the signs and themselves feel confident in speaking up and seeking safety.
‘Producers should understand their responsibility to keep contestants emotionally and physically safe. The women in these programmes are real people and need real support.’
She urged TV companies like ITV to engage with domestic abuse experts to ‘protect contestants.’
Fans were left outraged and calling for Omar to be kicked out of the house after witnessing him shout at his co-star before acting cold around her.
After Rhianna made it clear she was ending things with him, his chilling response was ‘you’ve really f***ed me off by saying what you said.’
During a subsequent conversation, he told her ‘look at me, don’t look away from me’ as Rhianna tried to cover her head in her hands, before Big Brother intervened and asked her to go into the diary room, where her welfare was checked.
Commenting on Monday’s episode, ITV confirmed that all contestants receive respect and inclusion training and extensive briefing from the show’s senior team to prepare them for the house and ‘to set out Big Brother’s expectations for appropriate behaviour and language.’
ITV said: ‘Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and any instances of inappropriate behaviour are responded to appropriately. Welfare and safeguarding are prioritised throughout the production, with a dedicated welfare team available to support Housemates before, during and after their time in the House.’
Metro has contacted ITV for a comment regarding Women’s Aid’s statement.