Rabat – The School of Preparatory Classes (CPGE) Ibn Timiya in Marrakech was stirred last Sunday morning after an unidentified man brazenly entered the girls’ dormitory and attempted to sexually assault a female student.
A student who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity told Morocco World News that the intruder managed to access the dormitory’s facilities, where he confronted a female student in the restroom on the third floor. He locked the door, subjected her to sexual harassment, and attempted to rape her.
“He closed the door and then he harassed her .. he started touching her and he took off his clothes and tried to rape her,” added the student.
The victim managed to escape and entered the room of other girls adjacent to the restroom. The girls started screaming and calling for help, with the perpetrator promptly running away.
He was then apprehended by a fellow student and some residential staff who called the police and had the perpetrator arrested, added the student.
Students from the school have reached out to Morocco World News, expressing their shock and indignation not only at the incident itself, but also at the apparent security lapse that allowed the perpetrator to go unnoticed.
Adding to the students’ frustration is what they labeled as a “dismissive” stance of the school administration, who downplayed the severity of the situation.
“They trivialized the situation, downplayed the problem, as if our security does not matter. They told us what happened is normal and asked us not to exaggerate things,” the student added.
According to her, the general supervisor of the dorm has even told concerned students that the victim “has probably imagined it all.”
Another student told MWN that “the administration does not want the incident to be known and wants to cover it up.”
The incident, coupled with the administration’s stance, has prompted a protest strike in front of the administrative offices, demanding improved security measures, with the presence of the victim’s parents among the protesting students.
Following the strike, the school has allegedly threatened harsh consequences against the protesting students.
“They are now trying to silence us and they have threatened students who participated in the strike to ban them from the dorm and suspend them from school,” one of the students said.
MWN has reached out to the administration for clarification, but they refused to comment on the incident.
In an official statement released on January 8, the National Union of Representatives for Students in Preparatory Classes in Morocco emphasized the gravity of the incident and expressed solidarity with the victim and her family.
“We strongly condemn the heinous incident witnessed at the Ibn Taymiyya Center. The attempted assault on a student within the residential building is a horrifying act that violates human dignity and individual safety,” said the statement.
The union demanded swift and severe legal consequences for the perpetrator, commending the prompt and successful efforts of the authorities in apprehending the assailant.
“We call for the perpetrator to be brought to justice and held accountable according to the harshest penalties of the law,” added the statement.
In addition, the union called for the urgent need to bolster security measures within CPGE educational institutions to ensure a safe and protected environment for both male and female students.
