Domestic Violence Against Men in Morocco: Thousands of Cases Reported Annually

Interviewed by the newspaper Aujourd’hui le Maroc, the president of the Moroccan Network for the Defense of Men’s Rights, Abdelfattah Bahjaji, reports nearly 24,500 cases of violence against men since the creation of his association in 2008. Just last year, nearly 3,000 men reported violence, compared to 2,500 in 2017.

For the activist, "the number of abused men is much higher" as his association does not take into account the phone calls received. "Many victims who cannot travel for various reasons or who prefer to remain anonymous contact us by phone. On average, we receive between 3 and 4 calls from male victims of violence each day. The number of abused men is much higher. Men are ashamed to talk about it. The taboo surrounding men who are victims of domestic violence is still deeply rooted in our society," he says.

His association has recorded several serious cases, such as a man beaten by his wife and brother-in-law. "We have received several serious cases. This is the case of a 54-year-old businessman in Casablanca. His wife, accompanied by her brother, hit him violently on the head and all over his body with a stick. The victim was seriously injured in the head, with a broken arm. This man had bruises all over his body."

Although rare, several cases of sexual violence have been reported to him, such as a man who was fired by his employer because he refused to have sexual relations with her. Or the case of a driver who was forced by his employer to have sexual relations during the absence of her husband, which he always refused.