In addition to its social, physical, and psychological impacts, violence against women in Morocco cost victims approximately MAD 2.85 billion ($313.36 million) in 2019, according to a recent report.
Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) shared the figure in a joint study with the UN Women office in Morocco. The partners published the study on November 27, on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, running from November 25 to December 10.
The two organizations calculated the economic cost of violence against women in Morocco based on a national survey carried out between February and July 2019.
The survey measured the burden that the phenomenon represents on the health system, social support services, and the justice system, as well as the lost income due to suspension of work and unpaid domestic work.
The amount detailed in the report includes MAD 2.33 billion ($256.64 million) of direct costs and MAD 517 million ($56.94 million) of indirect costs.
Direct costs represent the expenses incurred by violence against women to access various services, such as healthcare and justice, as well as the expenses for accommodation and the replacement of any damaged goods.
Meanwhile, indirect costs refer to the possible income loss due to absences from work or education.
The majority of women that participated in the survey, approximately 69.6%, suffered violence from their conjugal partner.
Violence against women in public spaces is the second-most recurrent form in Morocco, impacting 15.7% of surveyees, followed by violence from family members (12.9%), in the workplace (1.7%), and in their place of education (0.1%).
About 84.7% of abused women who participated in the survey suffered physical violence, while 15.3% experienced sexual harassment or assault.
