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Rabat – A new report released by Morocco’s Ytto Foundation revealed that among 138 marriages in the Midelt province, 52 percent of brides are minors, and some of them married at the age of 12. 91 percent of these couples are with undocumented marriage.
The Ytto Foundation introduced the report to the media during a press conference on Thursday in Casablanca. It was conducted by a delegation from the Ytto Foundation that travelled to several villages in the Midelt province. The program used the slogan “No to Legalizing the Rape of Children, All against Child Marriage.”
According to the report, 83 percent of women interviewed in the villages in the Midelt province said they were married before the age of 18, and 91 percent of them said they are in customary marriages, or marriage without legal documents.
The Ytto Foundation said that these sorts of marriages are further harming the situation of women in Morocco.
The report goes on to add that most of these victims of child marriage suffer from gynecological pathologies, and many of them are subjected to sexual violence from their husbands.
“In some cases, young girls married at the age of 12, 13 and 14. Those girls are experiencing symptoms of illness because of being obliged to bear psychological and physical burdens which doesn’t match with their age,” the report noted.
The Ytto Foundation said that in an unauthenticated marriage, a woman is not entitled to child support in the case of divorce or inheritance upon the death of their spouse. Also, her children would not be considered legitimate and thus, they would lose their right to an education since they are not registered.
According to the report, the majority of women and girls surveyed suffer from joint disease associated with working on a farm.
The report goes so far as to reveal that 91 percent of women surveyed are illiterate. Almost 80 percent of them said that they would like to study.
Edited by Timothy Filla
