Morocco Falls Short in Protecting Children from Sexual Violence, Global Index Reveals

The consequences of the phenomenon of sexual violence against children are dramatic and in Morocco, as in many countries around the world, it is taking on an alarming scale that requires action from all components of society. According to the "Out of the Shadows" index, "the emotional and health consequences of this scourge persist in the long term and its socio-economic impacts can be devastating".

However, in Morocco, the "Out of the Shadows" index, developed with the support of the World Childhood Foundation and the Oak Foundation, and with the help of the Carlson Family Foundation, shows that "governments, the private sector and civil society are not doing enough to protect children from sexual violence and thus achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which call for ending all forms of violence against children by 2030".

The results of the study show that Morocco has adopted several national policies and laws aimed at combating the mistreatment and exploitation of children. But it is a fact that this battery of measures has only allowed it to record "timid progress". Hence one of the observations of the report which recommends the "strengthening of the data collected and the commitment of the technology industry". Here precisely, the study notes that "Morocco does not have advanced technology to stop sexual abuse on the Internet (social networks). "No law requires Internet operators in Morocco to report sexual abuse," the report regrets.

The kingdom, which is one of the 60 countries analyzed by the report, scored 47.7 out of 100. A score that, according to the study, places Morocco in the category of countries where the measures taken by the government, the private sector and civil society to fight against sexual violence against children remain mediocre.