HANAN HARITE

Morocco- The number of violence against women cases has been increasing in Morocco. National Union of Moroccan Women. Silence against gender-based violence doubles the suffering of women.  According to official statistics for the year 2019, 1.5 million women and girls were subjected to online violence in the country.

NuJINHA spoke to Dalila Massaid, activist of the National Union of Moroccan Women (Union Nationale des Femmes Marocaines-UNFM), about the increase in all forms of violence against women in Morocco. “We can see how violence against women has been increasing when we look at the applications of women to women’s organizations and Moroccan courts. An urgent step must be taken to eliminate violence against women,” she told us. Speaking about the Law 103-13 on the Elimination of Violence against Women in Morocco, she told us that this law has not been implemented because “The law provides protections for survivors but contains gaps.”

‘Women must be empowered economically’

Pointing to the importance of awareness-raising campaigns about women’s rights, she said, “Unfortunately, women do not know their legal rights and how to prove violence against them.” Speaking about the silence against gender-based violence, she said, “Women must be empowered economically because most of those who are subjected to violence are economically dependent on men. For this reason, they remain silent against violence because they do not know what they should do if they ask a divorce. NGOs must hold courses for women so that they gain their financial independence. When women gain their financial independence, they will break the silence.”