HENAN HARIT

Morocco- All forms of violence against women, particularly online violence, are on rising in Morocco. Boutaina Karrouri, the head of the Forum Azzahrae for Moroccan Women, former Moroccan MP, and women's rights advocate, spoke to our news agency about the effects of violence faced by women and preventive measures against gender-based violence.

What causes violence against women to soar in Morocco?

The rates of violence against women have soared. According to the official figures, violence against women decreased Between March 20 and April 20, 2020, after the outbreak of Covid-19. However, later it was revealed that women, who were subjected to violence, couldn’t apply to women’s organizations for help due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. Later figures revealed that gender-based violence was actually increased. There are many causes of the increasing violence against women. The main causes of the increase in violence are the economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment.

Violence is justified

There are also cultural factors that legitimize violence against women. According to the survey conducted by the High Commission for Planning in 2019, 40 percent of men believe that women should endure violence in order to protect the family and 25 percent of men think that men have the right to beat their wives. Another cause is the spread of alcohol and drug use in society. Most victims of violence state that the perpetrators of violence used alcohol or drugs.

“10 percent of women report violence”

Three years have passed since the law to combat violence against women in Morocco entered into force. Does this law reduce violence against women?

Enacting this law is actually a significant achievement for women. It creates a conceptual framework for violence against women. It also criminalizes certain forms of violence such as sexual harassment. It also has new terms addressing certain crimes against women. It considers preventing the right to life, insulting, and slandering as crimes. According to the released reports, only 10 percent of women report violence against them. We don’t know why women don’t report violence. Three years are not sufficient to objectively evaluate the adequacy of this law. The law plays an important role in limiting violence. However, it is not sufficient by itself. There should be prevention and solidarity programs, particularly at the education level, to prevent violence. I believe that conscientious individuals should be raised to end gender-based violence. If this is not done, crimes against women will continue to be committed.

“A national committee should be formed to protect women”

What kind of responsibilities do the relevant authorities have in order to prevent violence? What are your thoughts? Morocco is making significant efforts to combat this phenomenon, both at the governmental and institutional level, by approving the government's plans, especially the Ikram 1 and Ikram 2 plans. In addition, a national committee was formed to monitor violence against women at the national level and to protect victims of violence. But this is not sufficient. Women’s issues should be at the forefront of general policies and a sufficient budget should be allocated to protect women. A preventive policy should be implemented.

Online violence against women is on the rise. What would you like to tell us about this?

Yes, online violence is a new phenomenon. 14% of Moroccan women are subjected to online violence. This means 1.5 million women have been subjected to online violence. This figure is scary. Women face online threats, harassment, cyberstalking, blackmail, and more. We need more efforts to prevent violence against women.