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For many women in Morocco, online spaces have become places where harassment, intimidation and abuse take place. But these same spaces are also becoming platforms for resistance. Civil society organisations are using digital tools to challenge harmful gender norms, raise awareness and push for change.
At the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, Manal and Adil from the Moroccan organisation AMPF shared both the challenges Morocco faces in addressing online gender-based violence and their hopes for a future where women can participate online without fear.
Online violence is silencing women
Online gender-based violence affects women and girls across the world. In Morocco, it is a reality that Manal and Adil, who work at AMPF on sexual and reproductive health and rights, witness regularly.
According to UN Women’s 2021 report on online gender-based violence in the Middle East and North Africa region, 58.1% of women in Morocco had experienced online violence or harassment. For Manal, this figure reflects the experiences of many young women she works with—including her own.
“When I was a student, I was harassed via direct messages after posting my phone number in a group dedicated to student life,” she explains.
She describes the forms of harassment women commonly experience online: unwanted sexual messages, unsolicited explicit images and negative or sexualised comments under women’s social media posts.
For female activists and influencers, this harassment can have a particularly damaging effect. Many withdraw from online spaces because of the constant abuse they receive.
“They are constantly insulted; therefore, they are not very active on social media. But behind online activist pages, there are actually many women,” says Manal.
Challenging harmful norms online and offline
Despite these challenges, digital spaces have also created opportunities for young people to speak out and advocate for change. Manal highlights initiatives such as the Instagram page No Hchouma (No Shame), which raises awareness about sexual and reproductive health and rights issues.
She believes that increased public discussion around these topics has contributed to changes in how gender-based violence is understood in Morocco.
“In the past, when women filed a complaint, police officers used to normalise the issue. Now the laws are much tougher and more perpetrators are prosecuted”
Adil, AMPF’s communication manager, agrees that Moroccan media outlets are increasingly breaking the silence around gender-based violence. This growing attention helps amplify the work of civil society organisations and policymakers.
However, challenging deeply rooted social and religious norms remains difficult. In a country Adil describes as conservative, raising awareness requires careful engagement.
“Raising awareness by using research and scientific truths is key,” he explains. Educational work can help people understand that online violence and defamation are not harmless behaviours, but actions that can have serious consequences.
When online violence becomes offline harm
One of the biggest concerns around online gender-based violence is that the harm does not always stay online.
For Adil, the risk is that perpetrators may move from digital harassment to physical violence. This concern reflects wider regional trends: according to UN Women, 33% of women in the MENA region who experienced online violence reported that some or all of these experiences later moved offline.
Morocco has experienced several high-profile cases where gender-based violence became the focus of public debate. Manal points to the case of #Meriem, a 14-year-old girl who died following an illegal abortion carried out by a man who was exploiting her. The case sparked renewed discussion about gender-based violence and the need for stronger protections.
Using digital spaces to create change
While online violence presents serious challenges, AMPF and other civil society organisations are also using digital platforms as tools for transformation.
Through the Right Here Right Now programme, AMPF has launched online campaigns addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights issues, including gender-based violence. One example is the #7JoursSansTabou campaign, which encourages open conversations about topics that are often considered difficult to discuss.
In the future, AMPF plans to work with digital platforms and influencers followed by young people to address online sexual violence. The organisation aims to create educational content that helps people recognise online violence, understand their rights and know where to seek support.
For Manal, changing attitudes requires addressing the root causes of violence. This means taking a gender-transformative approach that challenges harmful ideas about masculinity and gender roles.
“Promoting positive masculinity and parenthood through sexuality education and different initiatives is very important to decrease online and offline gender-based violence,” she explains.
AMPF has also developed tools to identify online violence and support awareness raising. The response from women has shown the impact of this work.
“Our online campaigns can help women. We’ve received many positive comments and thanks from women who feel heard. These women can become campaigners against gender-based violence and talk to their partners about it.”
Change makers will not be silenced
Both Manal and Adil see an important role for policymakers in addressing online gender-based violence. While progress has been made, they believe more action is needed.
“Decision makers must take the issue of online gender-based violence seriously and make it a priority,” says Manal.
Adil agrees that commitments must translate into action:
“We’ve won some battles but more needs to be done to eliminate all types of violence.”
Digital spaces can reproduce the same inequalities that exist offline but they can also become powerful tools. For Manal, Adil and many other activists in Morocco, the goal is clear: women and girls should not have to leave online spaces to feel safe. They should be able to shape them.