NGOs, Moroccans protest in Rabat in support of 11 year old’s rape
An assembly was held outside the Court of Appeal in Rabat today as part of the “Spring of Dignity” coalition’s protest of the three men who raped an 11-year-old girl and received light sentences.
In order to protest the verdict and demand justice for the young victim, a number of groups that strive to safeguard women and children, as well as NGO leaders and locals, assembled in front of the court in Hay Riad.
A substantial number of participants and protestors showed there to voice their indignation at the decision.
The Spring of Dignity coalition and a number of organizations have closely followed the case. The offenders, who frequently molested the girl for eight months and caused her to become pregnant, received a sentence of just two years in prison, which is much less severe than what the Moroccan penal law calls for.
According to Latifa Bouchoua, the former president of the Federal Women’s Rights League, “we as a coalition oppose these sentences and are here to convey our discomfort with the plight of the children and women,”
According to Bouchoua, these sanctions do not equal the cruelty of “the collective and continual rape of the child.”
The former president added, “This is one case of many that occurs in our country; we routinely experience incidents like this that don’t generally make it to the public.”
The former president of the Federal League for Women’s Rights expressed her concern for the kids and their families and requested that the Moroccan court system respond with justice and support for rape and abuse victims.
The rally was organized by the coalition to oppose the court’s verdicts and punishments, which, according to the activist, “do not appropriately reflect the gravity of Morocco’s problem with pedophilia and the sexual exploitation of children and women.”
Also present at the rally was Khaoula Assebab, president of Jossour Forum Les Femmes Marocaine, who made a point of saying that they will “continue support for the young girl raped by three adults.”
The militant claims that the victims are not helped by the “unfair sentencing to the big offense.”
The spokesperson of the NGO argued that “tight rules and serious verdicts in such situations must be imposed,” adding that “this worsens the situation for women and children in Morocco and makes the victims hesitant to seek justice.”