Study finds child abuse widespread and hidden in Morocco
2006-11-09
A UNICEF/Justice Ministry study finds that violence against children permeates all parts of Moroccan society. Morocco is tackling the problems through creating national programmes and child protections units.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 09/11/06
 [File] The study finds violence even exists in schools. |
Maie Ayoub Von Khol, UNICEF's representative in Morocco, says a study by her group produced in partnership with the Justice Ministry finds that violence appears to be an educational method and a socially acceptable means of control for lower- and middle-class children and household servants in Morocco. Violence is perpetrated by the family, police, schools, people on the street, employers, and charitable institutions. The data show that the youngest children appear to be the main victims.
Acts of violence are most often committed by men, with women responsible for 10% to 15% of cases. Women commit physical violence and child trafficking, but rarely sexual violence.
Domestic violence was found to generally only be reported when physical abuse is evident in the case of an abandoned child. Sexual and physical abuse committed within the home and acts committed by employers, teachers and officials are rarely reported. The report found that children rebel against violence only when it becomes torture, but rarely report it.
Moreover, children who are victims of sexual assault, particularly incest, tend to keep quiet because they feel ashamed and disgraced. Children themselves consider slaps and thrashings "normal" and "deserved". Child abuse is rarely punished.
"Victims do not know where to turn to have these practices stopped. Badly-treated children do not know, in fact, who to talk to or how to do it," explained Von Khol.
Children generally do not know about the toll-free numbers, counselling and guidance centres and medical treatment available to them.
However, the study shows Moroccan children aspire to the benefits of a protective environment.
A 2006-2015 national plan has been launched by Yasmina Baddou, secretary of state for family, children and the handicapped. "A Morocco Worthy of its Children" aims to protect children from all forms of abuse and promote their rights to health and education. Baddou stressed that her department is keen to offer children an ideal and safe environment.
Several measures have already been implemented to protect those most exposed to violence: street children, domestic servants and children in the workplace.
Child protection units are being created in Casablanca, Tangiers, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, and Laayoune. The units will co-ordinate the work of all local agencies, monitor child abuse and offer counselling, legal and psychological guidance as well as support and promotion of children's rights. The first unit will become operational in Casablanca over the next several weeks.
Other national programmes to protect children have been started, such as "Inqad", which aims to end the exploitation of children in domestic service. The finishing touches are being put to a national awareness-raising campaign on the issue.
The national "Indimage" programme is looking at street children. It hopes to find a nationwide approach to fighting the phenomenon through prevention and treatment.
"Violence towards children is a real challenge for everyone involved. We shall be able to realise our hopes thanks to the work being started up throughout Morocco," says Baddou.
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halakouni Posted 2006-11-10
Violence against children is part of the Moroccan culture.Its goal is to transform the kids into zombies or into obedience machines by the parents, the employer or the teachers...etc.... The poorest families are the cruelest against their own children. Parents who have lot of children used to send their kids to coranic shools telling the teacher to be ruthless against them and if he killed them, the parents will bury them, no question asked. I was victim of violence, explotation, and abuse almost everyday of my childhood when I lived with my own parents.( sometimes I was beaten many times in the same day by my father, my big brother and even my mother ) I left the country forever at the first opportunity.
محسن Posted 2006-11-10
We need more efforts to wipe the problem
habib Posted 2006-11-10
Violence against children is a reality that no one in Morocco and all Arab countries can deny. It remains to be seen how to stop this phenomenon. That's the most important, I think! Thank you!
ح. محمد Posted 2006-11-16
I think that violence isn’t limited to Morocco, it’s spread in all third world countries namely Arabic countries. I noticed from the articles on your site that you’ve tackled only physical violence while ignoring violence that leaves undeletable stigmas, it carves its effects on the personality of the person and accompanies him all his life. To be continued.
فاطمة الزهراء Posted 2006-11-22
First of all in the Name of God, the Beneficent the Merciful. the Lord has created us one nation, from one father. therefore all people are equal, poor or rich, orphan or not. God Said that in the Quran. He is All-Truthful!
kurt cody Posted 2007-01-23
hi, in desperation i googled "violence against children morocco" and came up with your site: thank God, if there is one, for the work you are starting. it's time children are protected and given rights. sadly violence against childlren as well as domestic violence is normal in morocco because islam, the religion of morocco, is inherently violent. you've only got to look at iraq, shia versus sunni, suicide bombings etc. have you ever heard of a christian, hindu, buddhist any other religion other than islam suicide bomber? here in tan-tan plage a youn g girl fatima is regularly beaten black and blue. the police do nothing. the caid, the local chief politician, does nothing saying the parents are the policemen of the family and he can't intervene. sad. it beggars belief that 2007 children are being beaten with pliers and wooden sticks. you are right it's normal here. only this morning i saw a mother pick up a huge stone and hurl it at her daughter also called fatima. here in morocco it's all God this; God that. i wonder if any moroccan has any idea what God is. for all the daily screaming from the mosques the violence against children here continues unabated. and so a new generation of wounded, emotionally scared, emotionally crippled people grow up and having suffered violent abuse become violent abusers themselves. what's new and quite horrifying is seeing children in internet cafes watching sexually violent video clips alongside their elders. for all the veils, the hijab wearing, the banging your head on a carpet in a mosque five times a day to ensure your place in heaven morocco is sadly and inexhorably going to the metaphorical fire. i'd like you to contact me to see if we can get the parents of fatima and her siblings prosecuted and get them to stop beating their children. getting rid of an inherently violent religion is another thing altogether. kurt.
الدكتور بنعمر محمد Posted 2007-04-02
Violence is an innate aspect of Man, it has spread to all elements of the world even the unknown.
بسمة Posted 2007-11-19
Thank you to everyone involved in producing this interesting document.
nattah bennani youssef Posted 2007-12-19
First of all, I would like to thank you for having hit upon the subject of such an affliction. I would just like to make one point and say that violence has never been a very useful method to educate our young children, whereas using other means such as communication between parents and children has been. I send my respects to you. Thank you for this marvellous document.
khadija and sanaa Posted 2007-12-29
Hi, We want to thank you for this document. It debated a very important subject, a reality from that we cannot escape: child abuse. This is heartbreaking. A child must live in peace under good conditions. This requires a parent’s understanding and tenderness. Punishment and abuse has never succeeded in educating a child.
abdlah Posted 2008-02-06
Anyone who has spent a couple of years in a developed country can easily understand that the proper education of its children is the secret of development. How can a country develop without the sound education of its children? Both physical and verbal abuse have as a direct consequence the obstruction of personal development and physical problems. Such repercussions take the form of a lack of creativity and drive in adulthood. So, imagine what it is like in Morocco, where, in my estimation, at least 70 per cent of you people today are subconsciously suffering from the repercussions of violence they were subjected to as children. We cannot expect great things to come from such a tattered society. Personally, I find the solution is to leave Morocco and go live in a developed country, where people respect women’s, children’s and animal rights. One question always strikes a heart chord with me: how is it that Islam able to punish adults (ex. lesbians, homosexuals, drug-users and even just simple people) who represent a deviation from conventions because their personalities have been torn up by this violent legacy? “Nothing is created, everything changes.”
younés Posted 2008-03-10
Hi, I am presently doing research on Morocco’s corporal punishment, because I suffered from this sadism as child at the hands of teachers who have psychological problems.
hassan.b Posted 2008-03-22
Hi, Violence against children is a phenomenon that is not only Moroccan, Arab and African, it is global. Furthermore, violence embodies several different aspects: you can speak about physical violence, psychological violence, neglect and sexual abuse. We need to ban all violent practices and begin with those that take place at home. There is a big opportunity to have our children grow up far away from any violence. We should not teach children violence and afterwards go complaining about the fact that the teachers are using the rod against our children. We also need to give our teachers a quality education. Teachers are doing noble work. The poet Ahmed Chawki compared them to a prophet. Only this teacher found himself surrounded with a child who had lost his sense of dignity in his family, a modest programme to fulfil given its students, parents who were not involved enough and an administration that was not understanding. What could he do in the midst of all this (not to mention his own personal, moral and—above all else—material problems)? I think we are asking too much of this teacher, who did what he could. Indeed, children are the fathers of man, and that which a child suffers from society will sooner or later return to society.
marco Posted 2008-05-11
A Moroccan policy to urgently modify in order for children to no longer suffer from this situation.
algerien Posted 2008-05-13
The investigation revealed that this network was specialised in child abduction in Algeria in exchange for large sums of money. This money was transferred to private clinics in Morocco, where they proceeded in removing their vital organs. The information was on Channel 3, Algeria.
slim16 Posted 2008-05-17
To Kurt Cody: I am not Moroccan; I am Algerians. I am horrified by the language you take up against our religion, Islam. I have also been caught off guard because no one has reacted to the venomous words of the atheist serpent that you are. You say “thank God”, but then just as quickly ask “if He exists.” For your information, Muslims say, “There is no god but God.” This is monotheism, the oneness of God. You say that Islam is a violent religion by its very essence. You know nothing of Islam apart from what your Western media recounts to you via the bellicose nations and the heads of states playing world police and making crusades (that is; Cowboy Bush). He even went to Iraq, the cradle of civilisation the Westerners once envied for the richness of its culture. Baghdad was the jewel of Arab and Muslim culture. Does "a thousand and one nights" mean anything to you? But you must not know this positive side!!! You remember only the western-raised terrorists. With the USA at the head and its poodles following, the West is doing us wrong, instigating religious wars against us Muslims ending in fire and blood, so as to be able to deduce that Islam is violent. In Iraq, the USA and other little clowns will never succeed in domesticating a people who—yes—are dying, but who are resisting. Look at the Algerian War and you will understand that your defeat was well deserved. Ask yourself about Palestine instead of rambling about a religion, which, if it was not distorted, of course, would show the world its real face. Really ask yourself about the Palestinian children whom bloodthirsty people are killing every day in cold blood. (To be continued…)
slim16 Posted 2008-05-17
(Continuation “To Kurt Cody:”) You say “daily lamentations”. You seem spiteful. Know that there is a call for the faithful to meet at the place of prayer and that the imam’s sermon is as knowledge being transmitted to Muslims, and, because you are atheist (this is clear) and thus without faith, you know nothing of this. Poor you: if only you had at least been Christian!!! If you pity the Moroccan children, do so decently in respect for their futures and their religion, as you have been invited her arms wide-open while you still denigrate the base of the Muslim people’s lives—their religion. Your remind me of the brainless wretches who made those idiotic and incendiary caricatures and trashy movies they call documentary with no other reason than monetary or racist interests. These poor Moroccan children are victims! Indeed they are beaten, but, worse than this, they are made to hold out for modernity in the West’s most encompassing terms possible of the anarchic freedom of consumption. This is what is most terrible for the Muslim people. Bye from Algiers
Anonymous Posted 2008-08-05
idont think that is fair.
hind et rokaia Posted 2009-01-09
Violence against children and conduct unworthy of humans even affects the angels. We would like to reclaim our revolution against the harmful actions of our society.
Nabu Posted 2009-06-09
I agree with the first post regarding the ingrained nature of violence towards in Moroccan society. Although this situation does admit exceptions it is a serious cultural problem which does not let its children flourish.
عبد الله من المغرب Posted 2009-06-21
In reality, violence against kids is still widespread in Morocco. It is mainly street kids, young maids and children with special needs including the disabled who endure it most. However, the most serious thing is that violence is still supported in our country by the structural sociological and cultural pillars including: 1- Social, cultural and political non recognition of the citizenship of the sons of the nation regardless of their social class, age and sex. 2- weakness of sanction and rebuff against perpetrators of violence against children in any position or any position regardless of the degree of the perpetrated violence. 3- Official public institutes still consecrate violence against children (school violence, absence of the intervention authority to impose respect for the dignity of the child even against his parents if necessary, overlooking child work, failure to provide conditions of mandatory education and other issues).
Anonymous Posted 5 days ago
This phenomenon is gradually on the rise. Therefore, it must be fought and severe sanctions should be imposed on the offenders.
سارة Posted 5 days ago
Well done!
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