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Rabat – A young Moroccan girl has shocked many social media users in Morocco with an outrage-inducing video narrating the physical abuse and torture she suffered at the hands of her own mother. The 6-year-old girl is seen covered in bruises and burn injuries from head to toe.
Reports have indicated that authorities in the city of Sale have reacted to the video and opened an investigation into the case. Police headed to the suspect’s house where they found the little girl locked in a room with apparent signs of abuse all over her body. The mother is currently in police custody.
After searching the house, the police seized a number of tools they suspect were used to abuse and torture the 6-year-old victim. They also seized 900 grams of cannabis suspected of being used by the mother, who has a criminal record, to make and sell illegal substances.
Since emerging last week, the three-minute video has caused wide indignation among Moroccans, with thousands of commenters urging security services to save the little girl and launch an investigation into the allegations.
Read also: Morocco Develops Legislative Platform to Address Child Abuse
The shocking video shows the little girl talking to a man, who she referred to as “uncle Hamza,” as she recounted with details the awful physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her own mother. She spoke of being beaten with a belt, being suffocated, being burned with a heated spoon, and being stepped on.
Following the mother’s arrest, the 6-year-old girl was taken to the hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.
Morocco has witnessed an alarming number of cases of child abuse and sexual assault against minors in recent years. One of the incidents that marked Moroccans is the case of the 11-year-old boy who was kidnapped, raped, and killed by a 24-year-old man in Tangier in September 2020.
According to Morocco’s Minister of Justice Mohamed Ben Abdelkader, a total of 6,172 children were the victims of child abuse crimes and offenses in 2019.
The increase in cases of child abuse and pedophilia in Morocco has led many activists to call on the government to strengthen the legal framework to protect children, with many defending the application of the death penalty.
