On March 28, feminist sociologist Soumaya Naamane Guessous posted an open letter addressed to the Moroccan Minister of Justice on the news site The 360. It traces the terrible story of S., a little girl who lives in a douar near Tiflet. “Her father refused to enroll her in school, 6 km from home, behind a wood, for fear that she would be raped”, explains the sociologist in this forum that has gone viral.
Repeated rapes
The horror begins in 2021. Alone at home, S. is attacked and raped by three men from the neighborhood. To force her to shut up, they threaten to kill her family. This rape is the first of a long series. Even too young to even imagine that she might be pregnant, it’s her round belly that, at 8 months pregnant, will alarm the village. Her attackers are then arrested. At the age of 12, S. appeared in the court of Rabat, with her child in her arms, and saw her rapists harshly punished: the child’s parent, identified by DNA analysis, received only 2 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 dirhams (about 3,000 euros). The other two men were sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, of which 6 were suspended, and a fine of 20,000 dirhams.
Derisory sanctions, far from what the law provides
“Did the judges consider that these repeated rapes, in an organized gang, by 3 adult men on a minor of 11 years, were allowed? », outraged Soumaya Naamane Guessous in his rostrum. Like the 150 people gathered in court this Wednesday, April 5, the sociologist cannot understand how the judges could have opted for such a light verdict and awaits the appeal process to issue heavier sentences. “According to the penal code, if the rape was committed against a minor of 18 years of age, the penalty is imprisonment from 10 to 20 years (art. 486). If there has been defloration, the imprisonment is from 20 to 30 years (art. 488). We are far from the 2 years pronounced by the court. »
Laila Slassi, commercial law lawyer and women’s rights activist (co-founder of the Masaktach Movement), interviewed by our colleagues from Publicationperceives in this sentence of the court the reflection of a certain systemic ignorance of these subjects: “There is a lack of knowledge of what sexual violence is in Moroccan society in general, this lack of knowledge is felt at the level of judges who underestimate the consequences of this violence on women and in particular on minors. »
Towards a revision of the penal code on sexual violence?
Among the placards displayed in front of the Tribunal, many protesters also demand the reform of the penal code on sexual violence, while the term “sexual assault » it does not appear in Moroccan law. However, as mentioned Publicationtwo-thirds of cases of sexual violence committed in the country involve minors, according to a study carried out by the Masaktach Movement in 2020.
The National Institute for Solidarity with Women in Difficulty (Insaf), which accompanied S. throughout the judicial process, calls for the creation of a Childhood Code to better protect minors and provide the country with adequate legal instruments. However, politicians remain hesitant to launch this type of reform, particularly due to the strong resistance that remains within the kingdom. In 2000, several hundred thousand people took to the streets to oppose the modification of the family code.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
