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Morocco Enacts Tough New Law Against Sexual Harassment with Jail Time, Fines
Monday 13 May 2019, by
The draft law against violence against women has just been published in the Official Bulletin. The government has finished setting up commissions within the ministries, the courts and the security services, which will ensure its implementation.
Sentences of one to six months in prison accompanied by fines of 2,000 to 20,000 dirhams will henceforth be provided for by Moroccan legislation in case of harassment against women. Whether it is verbal sexual remarks made in person or sent by text, the perpetrators face criminal penalties depending on the degree of severity.
According to Bassima Hakaoui, the Minister of Family, Solidarity, Equality and Social Development, this measure is a real "revolution", and "a real qualitative leap in the process of promoting the status of Moroccan women". However, some social actors do not seem to share this view.
What the minister considers a response to the grievances of Moroccan women, considering that "the toughening of penalties due to sexist insults is one of the most important dimensions of this law", some associations and activists consider it below international standards, especially in terms of defending the rights of women, including widows, the disabled and divorced women.