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NGOs in Morocco, including Kif Mama Kif Baba, are sounding the alarm and calling for harsher penalties for sexual violence. This follows the low sentence given to three men for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl. The 11-year-old girl became pregnant as a result of the rape and now has a child. One man was sentenced to two years in prison, while the other two received 18 months. Kif Mama Kif Baba is an NGO that works with Generation G partners in Morocco, which is part of a larger global programme that Rutgers is leads.
Protest
Following the shocking verdict, the “Spring of Dignity” coalition organised a sit-in as a protest. Members of Generation G Morocco heeded this call and raised their voices at last week’s demonstration in front of the Palace of Justice in Rabat. They expressed deep indignation at the leniency of the penalties for such a reprehensible crime and demanded a comprehensive reform of the penal code to better protect victims of sexual violence, especially minors.
Ghizlane Mamouni, president of the association Kif Mama Kif Baba, will be featured on Dutch current affairs programme Nieuwsuur on Saturday 15 April. In her interview she explains that this is not an isolated case. The fact that the sentence is so low, shows how patriarchal the judges and society are. They hope raising awareness will ultimately lead to reforms of the criminal law.
The Moroccan penal code states that a rapist of a minor can be sentenced to 10 or 20 years in prison. That sentence can be increased to 30 years if the victim is a virgin.
Generation G
The association Kif Mama Kif Baba is a member of the MN’7E9NA (Free Generations for Gender Equality and Justice Coalition) movement and fights for gender equality and justice. The organisation is part of Generation G in Morocco. This international partnership is lead by Rutgers (in coalition with Equimundo, Sonke Gender Justice, and ABAAD) and tackles the root causes of gender inequality. This inequality is often embedded in intuitions and laws and stands in the way of woman and girls fully enjoying their human rights.
