After setting the internet alight, the video of the attack on a woman and her little daughter by an octogenarian in Tetouan worries women’s rights associations. This incident reignites the debate on gender-based violence.
How long will women continue to suffer in silence and experience gender-based violence? women’s associations ask themselves. Reacting to this heinous incident, The Attahadi Association for Equality and Citizenship (ATEC) expresses its deep indignation at the attack on a mother and her daughter in Tetouan, an act captured in a widely distributed video.
“This incident, far from being isolated, reflects an alarming reality: women continue to suffer violence in various forms on a daily basis in our country.”, ATEC is indignant. According to the association: This situation highlights the limits of current penal policies and repressive measures, which are not accompanied by effective public policies to transform dominant mentalities normalizing violence as a means of resolving conflicts.
In a poignant press release, ATEC expresses its total solidarity with the victim and her family, while welcoming the rapid reaction of the judicial authorities, which made it possible to bring the attacker before the competent public prosecutor’s office. The association also declares itself ready to offer legal support and psychological support to the victim.
However, this incident, which sparked widespread public indignation, must be an opportunity to revive the debate on Law 103.13 on the fight against violence against women. Since its promulgation in 2018, this law, initially welcomed positively by the association, has proven, in practice, insufficient to achieve its fundamental objectives. Worse, it sometimes constitutes an obstacle to women’s access to justice, out of step with its initial intentions.
ATEC also calls for a review of fixed mentalities and ineffective public policies. The aggression in Tetouan highlights the persistence of an archaic mentality which considers violence as a legitimate solution to conflicts. Furthermore, this incident illustrates the inadequacy of current public policies, not only in terms of protecting women, but also in raising awareness of the social and economic impact of violence against women.
-Faced with this alarming observation, ATEC demands a effective adoption of ambitious and adequately resourced public policiesaiming to raise awareness in society of the importance of women’s rights and place. Such initiatives would have a direct and indirect impact on their protection.
She also recommends accelerating the revision of law 103.13in accordance with the commitments made for 2024 as part of the annual evaluation of public policies, in order to make this text truly effective for the protection of women.
Aware of the fallout from any act of violence, the association urges officials to ensure a participatory approach in the development of reformsby consulting feminist associations and organizations defending women’s rights. These actors, with their field experience and in-depth research, can make essential contributions.
ATEC strongly condemns this act of violence and calls for the mobilization of all stakeholders – authorities, civil society, citizens – in order to prevent the repetition of such tragedies.
Remember that the Tetouan police arrested the suspect. The investigations, carried out after a complaint filed by the victim, led to the arrest of the suspect. The latter, aged 80, was placed in police custody pending the judicial investigation, under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office, in order to clarify the circumstances and details of this case.
