Rights groups urge tougher penalties after child rape case shocks Morocco

Moroccan rights advocates have warned of a rise in child rape cases and insufficient deterrence after a 13-year-old girl was abducted, held for five days, and raped in the town of Tiflet, near Rabat.

The local branch of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) sent an open letter to the public prosecutor in Rabat, condemning what it called a “heinous crime” and urging a full investigation under articles 436 to 488 of the penal code, which impose severe penalties for kidnapping and rape of minors. 

The group called for the maximum punishment for the perpetrator and state-funded medical and psychological care for the victim.

Human rights activist Mohamed El Ghaffari said the case underscores the need for “harsher sentences and preventive education,” adding that sexual violence against minors “has become alarmingly common.”