Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Morocco Proposes Law that Addresses Street Harassment

By

Earlier this month, Bassima Hakkaoui, Moroccan Minister of Solidarity Women, Family, and Social Development, announced a new second draft for an anti-sexual harassment law.

Via Morocco World News:

“During the presentation of the draft, Hakkaoui acknowledged that the previous version of the bill contained “limited measures” to protect women from the “worrying phenomenon” of sexual harassment “sweeping” the public spaces in the kingdom.

According to the text of the bill, day after day more women are becoming victims of sexual harassment in Morocco.

The new bill legally redefines the spaces in which women can claim they have been sexually harassed [including public spaces]. Sexual harassment includes unsolicited acts, statements, or signals of a sexual nature, which are delivered in person, online, or via telephone, the bill says.

The draft includes tougher punishments for perpetrators as well. A person convicted of committing sexual assault could face a combination of jail time, ranging anywhere from one month to six months, and fines, between MAD 2,000 and MAD 10,000.

Perpetrators of sexual violence could be charged with both punishments if they are found to be a coworker of the victim or are part of the country’s security forces, according to the text of the bill.”

Share

“What hurts me the most is when I see teen girls having to deal with it”

By

I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. Being American I honestly had never received harassment as a woman until I came to Morocco. The harassment is the worst in the small towns. In bigger cities where people are more educated and have things to do the harassment isn’t quite so bad. But daily in my own town men on street corners stare as me as I walk by, try to rouse me with, “Hello, how are you” in several languages, or say things in Arabic that I am told I am lucky not to understand.

My best technique is to ignore it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t hear it. Sometimes I listen to my head phones when I walk so I can block out all the comments entirely. In such a conservative and religious country men are treating women like they are nothing more than sexual objects. I know how lucky I am that I only have to deal with this a few more months. What hurts me the most is when I see teen girls having to deal with it. Girls that will have to deal with this their entire life starting as such an innocent young age.

– A.R.C.

Location: many cities in Morocco

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Share

Street Harassment Problem in Morocco

By

Seriously, is there a region (besides maybe Scandinavia) where street harassment is not a problem? I just came across an article about how pervasive the problem is in Morocco.

“Many girls suffer molestation in the streets of Morocco which often turns into sexual harassment. And in most cases it becomes difficult for these girls to respond or even to report these violations to the authorities, because the relevant law in this aspect has not been ratified yet.”

Girls and women share their harassment experiences in the article and some men talk about why it happens, including blaming their targets by saying they dress provocatively (Puleaze. I’m beyond tired of that excuse.)

The article ends on a positive note though. It tells how Adib Abdel-Salam, a founding member of the Network against Sexual Harassment Cases in Morocco, advocates for the creation of a toll-free number to help women report their cases of harassment (workplace or street) and for an easier courts process to make it easier for harassment targets to use legal means to combat it. He also stresses the importance of education and promoting respect among people. In 2008, the Moroccan parliament discussed a draft law to criminalize sexual harassment but it hasn’t been ratified.

So it seems, like many other regions around the world, the Moroccan government is starting to recognize this problem and hopefully in time will  remedy it.

Share