The Fight Against Domestic Violence in Morocco
In Morocco, more than 50% of women ages 18 to 65 had experienced physical, psychological, sexual, and economic violence. According to a national government survey, 60% of the sample interviewed reported “conjugal” violence and 13.50% reported “familial” violence. Today, there is a new law put in place to criminalize violent actions against women in our country. However, the government still needs to address several issues to protect women effectively from domestic violence. For instance, the law does not include mechanisms to monitor the units or committees and has failed to create a system that ensures that the authorities carry out their duties to protect the rights of abused women. Major gaps and flaws are leaving women at risk of domestic violence, including a lack of provisions to finance the reforms.
In Arab and Islamic countries including Morocco, the traditional society is patriarchal and male-dominated. The issue of domestic violence remains widely ignored and unreported due to a number of cultural and legal barriers. To clarify, the belief bias in our society deepens the idea that the intervention of social and legal agents will only further disrupt the family and damage their reputation. Viewing domestic violence as a private and personal matter that should be dealt with inside the family space has become a familiar leaning in our society. Moreover, the attitude often maintained toward it is one that views this issue as a justifiable response on the part of the husband toward his wife’s misbehaviour. Unfortunately, a Moroccan woman seeking legal recourse against her husband is going against two key social norms: family privacy; which is morally valuable for children, and male primacy; which represents men as naturally dominant and more status-worthy than women.
Morocco adopted Law 103.13 on combating violence against women in 2018 after more than a decade of advocacy by Moroccan Women’s Rights organizations. The law on violence against women finally acknowledges some forms of abuse that many women face from their husbands and families. Yet, it should also address the gaps that exist in order to ensure that all survivors are protected from abuse. For instance, the law does not give a clear definition of what domestic violence is nor does it explicitly make marital rape a crime. Besides, the law does not financially support victims or survivors of violence. And, it does not provide access to safe and stable housing, health services, mental health care, and legal advice for those who need it after escaping from an abusive environment. In some cases, police and prosecutors make women go back to their partners and do not try to prevent further violence to protect the victims.
In a time where neither the law nor governmental institutions have effectively tackled the issue of domestic violence in Morocco, helping not only domestic violence survivors but also women, in general, has become the job of organizations and associations established by the women of Morocco. Today, women’s rights organizations are a relatively new phenomenon in our country. To illustrate, The Multi-sectoral Joint Program in 2021 was carried out by 13 national groups and more than 50 NGOs. It provided legal and economic support for abused women. Some of its central objectives were to spread awareness regarding violence against women in Morocco and seek efficiency and responsiveness regarding the issue of violence against women. Last year, NGO Mobilizing for Rights Associates (MRA) held a webinar to discuss research findings on the violence against women under the theme, "Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Morocco”. The online meeting featured Aicha Sakmassi, executive director of the association Moroccan Women's Voices; Saida Kouzzi, a founding partner in Mobilising for Rights Associates NGO; Hasna Allali, president of Amal Association for Women and Development; and Amal El Azzouzi, president of association Tafiil Moubadarat, meaning Activating Initiatives. The study's purpose was to understand the reasons why women who suffer from physical, psychological, and sexual violence choose not to report violence to authorities. And, these reasons included: not receiving necessary protection from the authorities, lack of convictions for aggressors, that their children will not have access to their father, a lack of financial support, or a negative view from their community after the conflict becomes public knowledge.
Despite the current situation facing female victims of domestic violence and women in general in Morocco, NGOs and activists are still expressing hope that change will come. As a young Moroccan woman living in a country where domestic violence is systematically ignored and justified, I remain hopeful to see to see a successful execution of gender equality and a change in the articles and laws in Morocco in the future. The government’s role in providing support and services to domestic violence survivors needs to be defined and the law to ensure the authorities carry out their duties to protect the rights of abused women needs to be implemented now more than ever. The new law passed in 2018 is a big step to help vulnerable women in Morocco. However, it needs to set out concrete duties for police, prosecutors, other law enforcement and judicial officials in domestic violence cases in order to implement it and extend further protections for women. Morocco should become a country that not only recognizes women’s rights but also delivers justice in the name of those rights.
About the author:
Manal Laabid is a highly skilled engineering student, a proactive citizen in her community, and a 2022 alumna of SUSI program for women's leadership in public policy. She is currently a participant in our #Women4Leadership program. She has worked in many projects that aim at raising awareness about young women's leadership and civic engagement, as well as breaking social norms and stereotypes about women in STEM and entrepreneurship fields. Manal is passionate about the world of Network, Big Data, and Cloud. By taking part in many programs that drive change in her country and leading youth achieving their goals, she strives for a better version of herself while encouraging others to do so. Her aspiration in life is to provide a supportive network and a safe space for women to grow and become the actors of change for a more inclusive and diverse community.
