HACA worked to ensure the respect of human rights and the fight against stereotypes in public and private media.
Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has reported its commitment to the expansion of television and radio offers, as well as the regulation of audiovisual content.
HACA granted two licenses for the creation of two radio services, one on FM and the other on the Internet, a license to operate satellite television services, and three authorizations for the distribution of video-on-demand services.
The creation of new television and radio services is part of the commission’s mission to establish a “pluralist and diversified audiovisual landscape,” stated HACA in a press release.
In addition to diversifying Morocco’s audiovisual landscape, HACA said it is working to ensure that all audiovisual operators, public and private, honor their obligations in terms of respect for “human rights principles and democratic values.”
HACA has issued 66 decisions on audiovisual content that violated respect for human dignity, respect for women and the fight against gendered stereotypes, the protection of children, and the protection of public health among other issues.
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80% of these decisions were taken following complaints from citizens, civil society associations, trade unions, or political parties, said the press release. The number of complaints received from individual citizens increased from 27 in 2017 to over 700 in 2019.
In addition to the direct regulation of the national audiovisual landscape, HACA has been regularly solicited by other public bodies on issues of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, linguistic diversity, the rights of the child, and gender equality, added the press release.
With regards to ensuring freedom of expression and political pluralism in the media, HACA made four interventions to monitor the time allocated to public figures on the airwaves of public and private radio and television stations.
The institution has also invested efforts in guaranteeing equal territorial coverage in favor of the least favored regions demographically and economically. It has supported 72 new radio frequencies from Morocco’s underrepresented regions.
