Rabat - During a remote class on Monday, a teacher saved a 40-year-old Moroccan-born mother from domestic violence in Milan after hearing her son's cry for help.
Rabat – During a remote class on Monday, a teacher saved a 40-year-old Moroccan-born mother from domestic violence in Milan after hearing her son’s cry for help.
Following the public health recommendations to establish remote classes, the teacher was working with a small group of junior high students of the Thouar Gonzaga Institute in a video chat when the student asked his teacher for help.
“Daddy is hitting mom. Teacher, help me, please,” pleaded the child.
According to Italian authorities, the teacher and other students heard disturbing noises and screams during the online class.
“While keeping his calm, the teacher immediately reacted, and made the other students leave the virtual classroom, and maintained contact with the child via chat,” said Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino.
The teacher then called emergency services to denounce the incident and describe the situation, the source added.
Italian authorities intervened immediately, entering the apartment and arresting the abusive father.
According to the investigators, the 48-year-old Egyptian man slapped his wife in the face during a violent dispute.
Authorities believe the woman would have denied the incident, but the child’s obvious unease, in addition to his previous behavior suggesting domestic assault, led security forces to arrest the suspect.
Authorities immediately transferred the man to the San Vittore prison in Milan.
Experts correctly predicted a rise in domestic abuse during the coronavirus lockdown, as disputes are more likely to occur when family members are forced into close quarters.
In Morocco, the Federation of Women’s Rights Leagues (FLDF) said it received 240 phone calls from 230 women who reported incidents of domestic violence since Morocco entered its COVID-19 confinement.
In a statement released last week, the organization leading Morocco’s #MeToo movement, the Masaktach (I will not be silent) Collective, invited women to speak out against domestic violence.
Acknowledging a dramatic increase of domestic violence reports during lockdown, the group said that their campaign aims amplify the voices of women in Morocco “whose responsibilities, mental load, and suffering have been increased.”
“You can also directly post your testimonies through the use of the hashtag #3yalat_El7ajr_Si77i (women of lockdown), which we will publish on our digital platforms,” the collective advised victims.
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