Moroccan Women’s Rights Activist Begins Hunger Strike Over Shelter Eviction Order

The local authorities of the prefecture of Aïn Sebaâ-Hay Mohammadi ordered Najat Ikhich, president of the Ytto foundation she has been running for years, to evacuate one of her centers. Dissatisfied with the "decision that was not the subject of any debate or participation on the part of the Ytto Foundation," she said she had started an unlimited hunger strike on Friday. Contacted by 2M by phone, Najat Ikhich indicated that since the announcement of the state of health emergency in March 2020, her foundation had signed an agreement with the social service of the prefecture related to the status of the Derb Moulay Chérif center for women and girls in difficult situations, managed by the NGO since 2014.

This agreement ensures that the two organizations can operate within this structure in order to receive homeless women during the health emergency period. But the foundation was "surprised to receive a letter" from the prefecture on February 19, summoning it to evacuate the center, thus breaking the agreement, while currently around sixty women are benefiting from this center, Ikhich pointed out.

Najat Ikhich has decided to observe this hunger strike until a dialogue is opened between the two parties.