Rabat School Faces Legal Threat Over Teacher’s Sexual Misconduct Case

The association "Don’t touch my child" is angry with the officials of the Lycée Descartes in Rabat. In a press release entitled "What’s going on at the Lycée Descartes?", it considers that the dismissal of the Franco-Algerian teacher accused of having "maintained a sexual relationship" with his 14-year-old student at the time of the facts is insufficient. "The school is required to provide a complete and transparent explanation to the public opinion on this matter, in particular regarding the legal measures taken against this teacher and the reporting of the incident," asserts the organization chaired by Najat Anwar, calling on "the Lycée Descartes to assume its responsibilities by initiating legal proceedings against this person so that he can be held accountable for his actions".

It warns: "Otherwise, legal action will be taken against the establishment by the NGO Don’t touch my child, considering this as negligence towards the safety and protection of children and minors in Morocco." An anonymous student supports the position of the association "Don’t touch my child". "I am a friend of the student who was the victim of abuse by this teacher. I am writing this message to express my anger at the possibility that he may go to another institution and impose his will with impunity," he writes to the site Le360.

It all started with the leakage of explicit messages on X between this teacher and his student, which prove that the two were very close. Another student at the Lycée Descartes in Rabat who also confirmed the facts claims to have read the conversation between the alleged harassing teacher and the alleged victim. "I read the messages from his phone (that of the student in question, editor’s note) [...] it is indeed the teacher’s account, he subscribed to students and several were following him on his Instagram account," she confirms. Following these revelations of sexual harassment, the establishment dismissed the Franco-Algerian teacher. "A teacher exchanged messages with a student at the school whose content is unacceptable. We condemn them with the utmost firmness," reacted in a press release signed by François Cuilhe, the principal of the Lycée Descartes in Rabat, before announcing the dismissal of the harassing teacher.