Morocco moves to end rising violence against women

Efforts by legislators and human rights organisations in Morocco to push for laws to end violence against women continue. In a plenary session in the House of Representatives this week, most political parties called for the adoption of maximum penalties against those who abuse women. 

The political groups stressed that the law should also include online and verbal violence, not just physical violence. In this regard, MP Fatima Yassin recalled that verbal violence exerts great psychological pressure on battered women, and called for more psychological support for victims of such violence. 

The Istiqlal Party had submitted a comprehensive proposal to revise the law on combating violence against women in April 2023 in order for Morocco to get a law to combat violence against women that preserves the achievements made in the current text, as well as to improve it in a way that contributes to reducing the growing social concern about violence against women. 

Data from the latest Afrobarometer survey reveals that 78% of urban residents in Morocco oppose violence against women, while in rural areas this percentage drops to 70%. 

During the plenary session, MP Lubna Al-Saghiri pointed out that "the law does not detail preventive measures to prevent violence against women and is not able to address the problem of impunity, as perpetrators still escape conviction". Al-Saghiri condemned "the negligence of the responsible bodies". "The law implements the process of assessing the risks that may threaten the victim's life, which sometimes leads to exposing the victim to further violence," she added.  

Regarding problems related to proof of crimes of violence against women, the politicians concluded that while penalties have been increased for certain crimes and new acts have been criminalised that were not there before, proof of these crimes has been subordinated to the general rules of evidence stipulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure. 

The Federation of the League for Women's Rights believes that "sexual harassment is stipulated in the requirements of the law, but the burden of proof falls on women, which is a very difficult burden". The organisation recalls that violence often takes place in a "private space", so that sufficient evidence is often not available. "Violence in all its forms, whether electronic or spousal, as well as sexual harassment in its various forms, is widespread in Morocco, and we saw this in the reception centre of the network of the Association against Gender Violence," it adds.   

The parliamentary group said the courts rely on the testimony of the victim and place the burden of proof on her to prove what she has been exposed to, especially in crimes of spousal and domestic violence, which often occur within the home.