Rabat – A new complaint has been filed against French businessman Jacques Bouthier in Tangier, bringing the number of victims in Morocco to seven.
The former CEO is facing charges of human trafficking, sexual harrassment, assault, and verbal violence.
In June, four young women who worked with Bouthier or in his company came forward with their stories of sexual abuse during a press conference.
Wearing masks and sunglasses to remain anonymous, the women explained that Bouthier and other executives, including Moroccan ones, made inappropriate physical advances toward them during work.
Some of the women were also fired after refusing to submit to the executives’ requests for sexual favors, and some said they were victims of blackmail in incidents that happened between 2018 and 2022.
Read also: Sexual Harrassment Victims Come Out Against French Businessman in Tangier
Speaking at a second press conference, the victims said that they faced a wave of intimidation after they first came out with their stories. “People from the other side were going to the media to insult us,” said one of the women.
More victims have come forward since then, and the women who first spoke out said they wanted to inspire courage in others to come out with their own stories of abuse.
Guellaa Aicha of the Moroccan Association for the Rights of Victims said the victims and their lawyers possess enough evidence to bring all the culprits to court and prove their guilt.
Bouthier has been arrested in France for human trafficking and raping a minor. A preliminary investigation in May found him and four others guilty of sexual misconduct.
Despite Moroccan law providing for harsh punishments in sexual harrassment cases, women continue to face a hostile environment when coming stories of sexual abuse.
In addition to harassment, victims can often be ostracized in their workplaces and find difficulty in finding other jobs, in what activists describe as a patriarchal system. As a result, many women often choose to not come out with their stories.
