International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women: 59% of Moroccan women victims of physical violence

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women this November 25, and the ongoing Family Code reform in Morocco, national efforts to combat gender-based violence are multiplying, at a time when 59% of Moroccan women still  endure physical violence.

Under the theme, “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls,” the campaign calls for collective action and investment in preventing violence against women and girls.

Violence Against Moroccan Women in Numbers

Despite notable progress, economic and social violence against women is still prevalent in the country, according to a report by the Federation of Women’s Rights League.

20,353 cases of psychological violence were recorded in Morocco between June 2020 and June 2023, says the recent output.

In the same period, 10,940 cases (24.8%) of economic and social violence, 6,572 cases (15.1%) of physical violence, 3,518 cases (8.4%) of sexual violence, and 2,324 cases (5.5%) of legal violence were recorded in the Kingdom.

Regarding legal violence, the intentional refusal to provide spousal and child support payments accounts for roughly 60% of the cases recorded in the dedicated listening centers.

Technology-based violence was recorded, with 419 instances of verbal abuse, 282 threats, 274 sexual harassment, 141 fraud, 116 non-consensual sharing of photos and messages, and 75 offensive comments, among other forms of violent behavior.

In terms of the marital status of females that went to listening centers, it has been discovered that 63% were married, 14% were divorced, 9% were single, 6% were single mothers, 4% were widows, 3% were engaged, and 1% were in open relationships.

Another recent report issued by the HCP (High Commission of Planning) this year highlighted that the prevalence of violence in various domains of life was 56.5% in 2019.

Domestic violence accounted for 52.1% of all incidents, while workplace violence accounted for 15.4%.

Legislative Loopholes Hinder Women’s Protection

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women marks the start of the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

This year’s theme raises questions about the country’s investments to prevent violence, including public policies, human as well as financial resources in this regard, and coordination in place to tackle violence before it occurs, said Aatifa Timjerdine, Vice President of the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM), in a statement to Hespress EN.

“The enactment of Law N°103 13 released in 2018 was one of the main achievements of Morocco,” highlighted Timjerdine as the only legal mechanism that specifically addresses violence against women in the country.

However, this law comes with a plethora of loopholes, enumerated by the VP of ADFM in a statement to Hespress EN.

“Ideally, a law on combating violence should be comprehensive and independent, with a strong focus on prevention rather than just punishment. However, Law N°103 13 came only to amend and complement the criminal law,” said Timjerdine,

An important aspect of combating violence is the responsibility of the state to provide assistance and support to victims. “In Morocco, the state does not take much responsibility for repairing the damage caused by violence,” highlighted the VP of ADFM.

There is no “burden of proof”. It’s not just up to one side to prove that a crime occurred, but even the other party must provide evidence to show that the crime did not happen, underscored Timjerdine.

Law N°103 13 doesn’t align with the international definition of violence by the United Nations and mainly focuses on amending the criminal law, she added.

“Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life,” according to the UN definition of violence against women.

Timjerdine brought to the table the issue of Family Code reform and underscored that it can’t be done without bearing in mind combating violence. She pointed to several provisions in the Code that perpetuate violence, especially economic and social violence.

“Social violence manifests in legal guardianship that does not apply to women, custody being granted based on the mother’s marital status, and property division where women have to prove their contribution, although it is already known that their contribution is evident through household or productive work,” highlighted the VP of ADFM.