Education Must Be Used as Tool to Fight Violence against Women: PM

Rabat – The head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, highlighted Monday in Rabat the need that the educational and cultural approach be used as a tool to spearhead the fight against the phenomenon of violence against women, according to Maghreb Arab Press agency.

“The legal approach is necessary but insufficient. It is necessary to adopt an educational and cultural approach to strengthen woman’s position choice in Islam as a wife, sister and daughter,” said Benkirane at the opening of the regional seminar on  “Prevention and fight against violence against women,” organized by the Ministry of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, in cooperation with the Council of Europe.

He called for preventive measures to strengthen the protection of women and promote their rights in order to deal with this “unacceptable” phenomenon that is, he said, a form of discrimination against women.

“It is essential to overcome the dysfunctions that cause this form of violence,” said Mr Benkirane, while mentioning the steps taken to promote the status of women in Morocco, such as the Family Code and the provisions of the new Constitution.

The Head of Government also welcomed the work of counseling centers for women victims of violence, women’s NGOs and the media for their advocacy role in this area.

For her part, the Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, Bassima Hakkaoui, acknowledged that despite significant achievements, the problem of violence against women remains a cause of concern and efforts still lack coordination, hoping that this seminar helps to develop a global vision of achievements in the Arab world and Europe.

According to Ms. Hakkaoui “what matters today is not only to highlight the various achievements, but also to share approaches and experiences and common management skills of an issue as thorny as that of violence against women.”