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Surge in Asylum Claims from Young Moroccan Lesbians Challenges Spanish Authorities
Saturday 21 September 2019, by
The cases of asylum applications by Moroccan women who claim to be lesbians, in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, are becoming legion. The competent authorities welcome these mostly 15 to 20 year old women and carefully examine their files under the supervision of social workers.
There are more than 300 Moroccan women displaying their homosexuality in Ceuta and Melilla. This number, recorded since the beginning of this year, is increasing every month, according to the local press, confronting the Spanish authorities with complex situations.
To ensure the veracity of the reasons given by these women, who say they are persecuted in Morocco because of their sexual orientation, databases are consulted, investigations are conducted and inquiries into their environment are launched before granting them "sexual asylum".
It is reported that these women are supported by civil society associations and encouraged by associations in Europe who would lead them to immigrate illegally in order to seize the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
For the record, Article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalizes "licentious or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex." Homosexuality is illegal in Morocco, punishable by 6 months to 3 years in prison and a fine of 120 to 1200 dirhams.