Moroccan women said that their spouses or fiancés had subjected them to violence and digital blackmail during a press conference. They couldn't hide their anxieties and concerns about the possibility of a scandal and the consequences that might follow.

Morocco – On Wednesday (May 25), the National Committee for Supporting Women Victims of Violence held a symposium titled, “Online Violence Against Women” in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, in partnership with the Council of Europe and in coordination with the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family of Morocco.

During the symposium, two stories were told in the voices of the victims, all of whom were under the age of thirty. A woman, whose identity was not revealed, admitted that she was subjected to violence by her husband and family, who failed to support her.

Fake account

She stated that she went to a security center and filed a complaint in which she indicated that she was subjected to online violence after her husband opened a fake account in her name, he accused her of being infidelity.

"I was intimidated by my spouse, who accused me of disloyalty. He wrote in my name on my personal social media account, and he accused me of betrayal based on false facts," she added. After the complaint, a court conducted an investigation and revealed that the accusations were false and fabricated by her spouse and that the one who wrote on her social media account was her spouse.

The second story was about a young woman, who was threatened by her fiancé after he posted images of her on social media. So she thought of committing suicide but then she calmed down and went to a police station to file a criminal complaint.

"My fiancé threatened me to tell my family that I had gotten an abortion if I refused to accept his desires and whims,” she explained.

The Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration, and the Family, announced that it has launched many initiatives to protect the victims of violence.

During the symposium, Babouri Sakina  made a speech on behalf of Aawatif Hayar, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family. “The ministry works on enforcing the Law 103.13, relating to the fight against violence against women. As a signatory to the Marrakech Declaration to end violence against women, the ministry aims to provide 65 facilities for victims of violence. 44 partnership agreements were signed with associations to run these facilities. The ministry aims to support women to get them out of the cycle of violence through training and social and economic integration,” she said in the speech.