Rabat- According to recent survey conducted in four major Moroccan cities, over 19,000 women work as prostitutes as of 2011, according to the Moroccan daily Al Akhabr in its May 28 edition.
The study, which was commissioned by the Moroccan Ministry of Health in the cities of Rabat, Fez, Agadir, and Tangier, reveals that the majority of the women have resorted to prostitution because of social or economic problems.
The study also notes that between 62 and 73 percent of prostitutes have either divorced or lost their husbands before the age of 24, while 2 percent are married.
According to the same source, between 300 and 400 sex workers were interviewed in each of the four cities.
The study, which did not include Marrakech, which is believed to be a major hub of prostitution, shows that Rabat has the highest number of prostitutes, with 7,333.
According to the same study, between 50 and 80 percent of prostitutes live alone, while financially supporting others. The study thus shows that between 45 and 85 percent attend the needs of more than three persons. The survey also shows that the majority of women questioned by investigators claim to have first had sex with their husbands, while 11 to 25 percent admit to having suffered from rape.
The survey comes during the heated debate underway in Morocco after the first video clips of the film “Much Loved” were posted on YouTube. The film, which was produced by Nabil Ayouch about the phenomenon of prostitution in Marrakech, caused outrage among many of the Moroccan public public opinion.
The controversy surrounding the film prompted the Moroccan Ministry of Communications to ban its screening in the country’s cinemas.
“After a CCM group saw the film in an international film festival, it was decided not to authorize the release of the film in Morocco,“ the Ministry of Communications said in a statement on Monday.
“The film undermines the moral values and dignity of Moroccan women, as well as all the image of Morocco,” it added.
