Version française ICI

This text is based on three recent articles reporting about two teenagers forced to marry their rapist:

L’Express (August 2, 2012): Morocco: Benkirane does not amuse the king anymore (Maroc : Benkirane n’amuse plus le roi)

L’Express (March 15, 2012): Morocco: a teenager kills herself after marrying her rapist (Maroc : une adolescente se suicide après avoir épousé son violeur)

Yalibladi.com (June 27, 2012): Salé: Another young girl forced to marry her rapist (Salé : Une nouvelle jeune fille forcée d’épouser son violeur)

Section 475 of the Moroccan Criminal Code allows a man guilty of rape on a minor to escape his sentence by marrying his victim.

Often, the rapist’s family puts pressure on the girl’s parents so that they keep quiet and end the situation by marrying the daughter. Forced to marry her rapist, Amina Al Filali, a 16-year old teenager killed herself in March 2012.

After women’s groups protested and asked for an abrogation of section 475 of the Moroccan Criminal Code, the Minister of Family, Bassima Hakkaoui, opposed changing the law “under pressure from international public opinion”. She added that “sometimes the marriage of a raped girl to her rapist does not really harm her.” Bassama Hakkaoui belongs to the Moroccan Justice and Development Party linked with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In another case reported by the Yalibladi.com website, pressures to marry the young raped girl came not only from the rapist’s family but from the Muslim judge (cadi) responsible for the district where she was living. The cadi advised her parents to marry her with her tormentor in order to cleanse the family honour and avoid hchouma (shame).

Further reading

GMBDR (December 4, 2011): Qaradawi Congratulates Moroccan Islamists on Parliamentary Win

Point de Bascule (August 10, 2012): An advisor to the king of Morocco interferes in Quebec elections by condemning candidate Djemila Benhabib (Un conseiller du roi du Maroc s’ingère dans les élections québécoises en s’en prenant à la candidate Djemila Benhabib)

Point de Bascule (April 25, 2012): Moroccan Muslim Brotherhood PM refuses to talk with female Belgian minister

Point de Bascule: List of articles related to Morocco