Earlier this month, a Rabat-based NGO announced an initiative to assemble online emergency resources for victims of domestic abuse during the lockdown.
Rabat – Morocco is part of an international initiative that seeks to counter domestic violence across the country and worldwide as governments impose lockdowns to counter the spread of the coronavirus.
State media Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) said Morocco took the initiative along with the EU and a group of countries to support the UN’s goal for “peace at home, in households, around the world” against domestic violence during confinement.
Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres expressed frustration against the “horrific outbreak of domestic violence” worldwide due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
“We know that containment measures and quarantine are essential to overcome COVID-19. But they can also trap women with violent partners,” the UN chief warned.
The initiative is the fruit of efforts from the UN, Morocco, the EU, and other countries including New Zealand, Argentina, Turkey, Mongolia, and Namibia.
Morocco secured the response of 124 UN member states to the initiative against domestic violence, which is manifested in a declaration. Fifteen other countries subsequently joined the list of co-sponsors.
In the declaration, the signatories vow to position the “prevention and remedy” of domestic violence as a key national and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The countries pledged to establish a “policy of zero tolerance for domestic violence.”
The declaration also conveys a “warm tribute” to health workers, social workers, civil society organizations, as well as UN-Women and other UN agencies, for their remarkable efforts in managing the global health crisis.
In Morocco, courts handle approximately 17,000 cases of gender-based violence annually.
In addition to governmental activities to curb domestic violence, scores of NGOs in Morocco are enabling women to take a stand against abusers and perpetrators of gender-based crimes.
On April 1, international non-profit Mobilising for Rights Associations (MRA) announced its initiative to assemble online emergency resources for the victims of domestic abuse in light of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
