Brutal Attack Reignites Morocco’s Women’s Rights Debate

The extremely violent attack on a young woman named Imane, this Tuesday, September 23 in Taza, caused a shock wave in Morocco. Disfigured with a bladed weapon by her ex-husband, who is none other than her former rapist, her tragedy has revived the painful debate on the persistence of "restorative" marriages and the protection of women victims of violence.

Attacked in the street, Imane suffered serious facial injuries requiring 130 stitches. The suspect, her ex-husband, was quickly arrested by the authorities. Their story began with a rape that led to a pregnancy. Under social and family pressure, Imane was then forced to marry her aggressor, to "save honor".

This drama tragically recalls the Amina Filali case, which had shaken the country in 2012 and led to a reform of the law. Article 475 of the Penal Code, which allowed a rapist to escape prosecution by marrying his victim, has indeed been amended. However, as MP Kouloub Faitah points out, judicial interpretation and social pressures continue to pose a problem, and Imane’s forced marriage is proof of this.

The case now has a political resonance. MP Kouloub Faitah has sent an urgent written question to the Minister of Solidarity to request "urgent psychological support" for the victim. At the same time, women’s rights associations have expressed their solidarity and denounced the "fragility of the protection system" and the "weakness of legal deterrence" in the face of such acts.