Starting this Wednesday, December 29, the University of Mohammed I will appoint a special committee to investigate the recent sextortion scandal that has plagued one of its affiliate faculties, the National School for Business and Management of Oujda (ENCGO).
The university issued a statement in which it strongly denounced sexual harassment within its faculty and promised immediate action.
The committee, dispatched by Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif El Miraoui, arrived in Oujda today, according to Hespress EN sources from within the ministry, and has started its investigation, questioning all parties involved.
Hespress EN spoke to the ENCGO’ ADE executive board, who confirmed that a member from the ADE is included in the committee’s hearing and interviews, with both the professor in question and the alleged victims.
The ADE said they launched the “Zero Tolerance” campaign to encourage victims of on-campus harassment to come forward, despite the high stakes that may entail, in addition to the significant power imbalance at play, when the harassment is perpetrated by members of the academic staff.
The ADE is currently pushing for the suspension of the professor, considering “the power he will still have on students while remaining in the school, giving classes and lectures, and overseeing thesis programs.”
The ministerial source informed Hespress EN that a nationwide investigation will take place, in light of the succession of similar cases recently, namely within the Hassan I University in Settat, for which many individuals are currently undergoing prosecution from judicial authorities.
Najiss Benazou, a member of the Moroccan Outlaws Movement, told Hespress EN that the frequency of these cases, across various Moroccan universities, is alarming, saying that “those responsible for these abominable acts must be prosecuted and put out of business,” while adding that “e cannot continue to allow perverts to approach students over whom they have a certain power given their status as professors.”
Collective490 has contributed to shedding light on various sexual harassment scandals, as many victims use them as a medium to keep with their anonymity, considering the high stakes and power imbalance involved.
Benazou told Hespress EN that the collective has “tried to offer these students a way to speak freely and denounce their harassors,” highlighting that “since Monday we have collected dozens of testimonies from Oujda and elsewhere, all from students who have been harassed and who do not dare to file a complaint for fear of the repercussions on their personal lives and on their future.”
The collective aims to use the testimonies as a way to raise awareness, with its new and much needed digital campaign, #MeTooUniv.
Narjiss says that despite the importance of “listening cells and toll-free numbers in schools and universities where victims can talk without fear, it is also essential to change the articles of the law that prevent them from going to court, such as 490,” while having the harassers face the repercussions of their actions.
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