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Rabat – The Moroccan #MeToo movement, the Masaktach (I will not be silent) collective, reassured women in Morocco that it will continue to publish testimonies amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
The movement recently issued a press release underlining that the latest studies from around the world shown an alarming increase of violence against women governments impose confinement measures.
The Masaktach collective announced the launch of a campaign to post the testimonies of Moroccan women experiencing violence during the lockdown through the hashtag #3yalat_El7ajr_Si77i (Women of lockdown).
The collective said that the campaign has the aim of giving a voice to women in Morocco, “whose responsibilities, mental load, and suffering have been increased.”
The Masaktach collective said its mailbox is open and assured it will continue to publish the testimonies from women and girls “anonymously.”
“You can also directly post your testimonies through the use of the hashtag # 3yalat_El7ajr_Si77i, which we will publish on our digital platforms,” the collective added.
#Masaktach hopes that the testimonies will support the Morocco’s efforts in preventing violence against women and crisis management.
Moroccan courts handle approximately 17,000 cases of gender-based violence annually, and NGOs like Masaktash and international organizations have warned that the COVID-19 lockdown has increased domestic violence.
The Moroccan government announced on April 12 that it 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.
“We know that containment measures and quarantine are essential to overcome COVID-19. But they can also trap women with violent partners,” warned Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres.
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.”
In the declaration, Morocco and the other signatories vowed to position the “prevention and remedy” of domestic violence as a key national and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pledged to establish a “policy of zero tolerance for domestic violence.”
