Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Solidarity and Social Development launched on Monday a national communication campaign with the aim to protect children against violence.
The ministry said the campaign will last for six months to raise awareness against child abuse.
The initiative also seeks to serve as a platform to encourage children to share their thoughts and opinions as well as to raise awareness among them and enhance their knowledge about the danger of abuse and violence.
The campaign also considers ways to protect homeless children, migrant children, and unaccompanied migrants.
The campaign will include debates between experts in psychology and economics as well as social activists, which will be broadcast on television and news platforms.
The initiative is part of a partnership between Morocco and Belgium, in collaboration with UNICEF.
The campaign comes in a heated context due to the increase in violence against children in Morocco.
Recently a number of cases of child abuse and sexual assault against minors sparked outrage among citizens and social network users.
The debate about sexual violence took off after the murder of Adnane Bouchouf, an 11-year-old boy from Tangier.
Police found Adnane Bouchouf buried in a garden near his house after he was kidnapped and raped.
The suspect was a 24-year-old man who does not live far from Adnane’s house.
The crime was not a first for Morocco, but a series of similar crimes followed Adnane Bouchouf’s murder, linked with sexual assault and rape.
One of the crimes was last week in Oujda, eastern Morocco, when police arrested a suspect for his alleged involvement in possessing and sharing child pornography.
In September, Morocco’s Minister of Human Rights Mustapha Ramid issued a statement to announce the country’s plans to hold a series of consultations to discuss the increase of crimes against children.
He said that the ministry will host consultation meetings with ministers, institutions, and specialized bodies to study the national record in terms of the rights of children.
The statement came days after the death of Naima, a 5-year-old girl who was found dead in an area far from where she lives in Zagora, southeastern Morocco.
A shepherd alerted police about the body, which was decomposed.
Sources told Moroccan television channel 2M weeks ago that the crime could have links with witchcraft.
Police arrested two suspects for their alleged involvement in the crime.
