Rabat – The Moroccan social media community has once again expressed outrage following the spread of yet another street sexual assault video.
In the video clip, a man approaches a woman from behind, and reaches his hand up her dress as she walks the streets of Tangier.
Tangiers’ authorities immediately responded to the video, initiating field research and technical investigations , leading to the arrest and identification of the perpetrator, who was a 16 year old minor.
The suspected minor is placed under police surveillance, while the juvenile department of Tangier’s Judicial Police conducts an investigation, under the supervision of the competent Public Prosecution.
The documented harassment scene sparked anger across the Moroccan community, men and women alike, and prompted a nationwide debate on why it has become so common to film aggressive behaviors in the streets.
As recently as last month, another street sexual harassment video sparked uproar among the Moroccan community, resulting in the arrest of three minors within a 48 hour time frame following the incident.
In an unfortunate deja-vu, both aggressions occurred in the same city, north of Morocco, and both perpetrators are 16 year old minors.
In spite of the authorities’ immediate response to the video in September, the victim decided not to press charges.
Often times, rountinely waiving rights and not initiating legal proceedings enables perpetrators to act without consequence, creating a culture of impunity, that normalizes serious acts of violence against women in the streets of Morocco.
According to the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP)’s latest report on the status of women in the country, violent acts committed against women in public spaces have dropped significantly in the last decade; however, a large portion of aggressive behaviors remain unreported, as few victims file complaints.
“Standing up against your aggressor can be dangerous and can escalate the situation,” says one commentator.
This remains a common sentiment among most sexual harassment victims in the country, but women’s rights NGOs and activists continually urge survivors and victims to speak up in order to prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future.
