In Morocco, women’s organizations are sounding the alarm about the extent of violence against women. They call for the judicial police to be given strengthened powers to handle these cases more effectively.
In a recent report, these organizations recommend that the judicial police intervene immediately in all complaints related to violence against women, under the authority of the competent justice system. These interventions would include searches, expanded access to affected locations and better collection and documentation of evidence.
The Federation of the Women’s Rights League and the Solidarity Women Network unveiled their “ Annual report on violence against women for the year 2024“. This paints a gloomy picture of the situation, while announcing a promising initiative: the launch of the platform “ Injad Info“, designed to encourage victims to report acts of violence.
According to this report, 4,535 cases of violence were declared between 2023 and June 2024 to the Injad and Femmes Solidaires networks. The most affected age group, between 18 and 38 years old, represents 33% of cases, followed by minors under 18 years old, with 6% of reports. Women aged 39 to 48 are not spared, representing 22% of cases, often due to the family and professional pressure they experience.
The report highlights the different forms of violence, often trivialized, which undermine the physical and psychological integrity of victims. Thus, the organizations recorded 4,961 cases of psychological violence, 2,415 cases of economic violence and 1,107 cases of physical violence.
It also highlights that 57% of acts of violence are committed by spouses, while 20% of female victims live under the threat of eviction from their home, reinforcing their precariousness.
The victims’ stories included in the report reveal shocking realities: exploitation of minors via the Internet, sexist discrimination, difficulties specific to migrant women and legal marginalization which persists despite legal developments. These testimonies also highlight the continued social stigmatization and normalization of attacks.
Women’s organizations are calling for a legislative overhaul to align Moroccan laws with international standards and the Constitution. They insist on the urgency of a coordinated response to fight against a scourge which interferes in all aspects of public and private life.
