Published On:Sunday, 12 February 2017
Posted by ARAB GAZETTE. weekly newspaper issued on Sunday morning - London, UNITED KINGDOMمؤسسة الوطن العربى الإعلامية - لندن ، المملكة المتحدة . WA MEDIA FOUNDATION - LONDON, UK
Over half of gender-based violence cases in Morocco occur in public spaces
Over half of gender-based violence cases in Morocco occur in public spaces
ARAB GAZETTER - Morocco
Over half of the cases involving gender-based violence in Morocco take place in the public sphere, the North African country's minister of solidarity, women, family and social development said .
MAP news agency quoted Minister Bassima Hakkaoui as saying that 53 percent of reported instances of physical violence against women and 66 percent of sexual violence cases occurred in public places.
Hakkaoui, who was speaking at a colloquium about safe cities and women, called for national legislation to combat violence against women, adding that "impunity constitutes one of the reasons that aid in the propagation of this phenomenon."
The proposed law, which is currently being debated in the Moroccan Parliament, would open the door to harsher sentences for any gender-related crimes.
It has also been criticized by several feminist groups that say the law does not conform to international standards.
Leila Rhiwi, the representative for the United Nation's agency for women in Morocco, said that violence against women in urban areas greatly surpassed violence in rural areas.
UN Women, in cooperation with local authorities, is currently implementing a program to identify and fight against all forms of gender-based violence in public spaces in over 20 Moroccan cities.
