Amal Association for Women and the Development of the City of El Hajeb Unveils the results of the research-action relating to cases of violence against women

Couple Mohammed Drihem
As part of the project “Promoting the liberation of gender-based violence in Morocco, empowerment and advocacy” and in partnership with the organization Mobilizing for Rights Assocites (MRA), the Amal Association for Women and Development of El-Hajeb organized a round table devoted to the presentation of the results of field research carried out on the theme of: “Good practices in the response of the authorities Public records of violence against women, consensual relations outside marriage”, and this , Friday, May 26, in the meeting room of the municipality of El-Hajeb.
During this round table, the results of field research carried out on the theme “Protection rather than imprisonment: the contribution of the criminalization of sexual relations outside marriage to the rise in violence against women in Morocco” and the theme ” Due Diligence for Women Victims of Violence: Best Practices in Government Response to Violence Against Women”.
In a statement to MAP, the president of the Amal association for women and development in El Hajeb, Hasna Allali, confirmed that this round table had been organized with the aim of presenting the results of an action research to which the Amal Association participated with a group of other national associations from Marrakech, Taza, Larache, Agadir and Ouarzazate, so the Amal Association for Women and Development in El Hajeb worked in this research under the under the aegis of the Organization of Women Partners for International Mobilization by organizing several consultative meetings with people concerned by issues of violence against women.
The first file on which the association worked, specifies Hasna Allali, concerns the way in which articles 490 and 491 of the penal code come into conflict with the application of the requirements of law 103-13, and the second file concerns the good practices in relations with public authorities. with cases of violence against women.
As methodology and work strategy, the President of the Amal Association confirmed that there was a series of meetings with groups of actors to collect their opinion on the application of Law 103-13 and the obstacles to which they face in the application of the criminal law, which concluded with the publication of a set of conclusions and recommendations, the most important of which is the abolition of chapters 490 and 491 which constitute a flagrant contradiction with the acquis in terms of women’s human rights, given that the criminalization of extramarital relations opens a wide door to leeway to punish women who are not so, encouraged to report the chastity to which they are exposed within the framework of a extramarital relationship.
Along with this adds Hasna Al Alali; during this meeting, the most important good practices in the relations of the public authorities with these files of the valences made to women since the entry into force of law 103-13 until now were presented, because there was a set of measures taken by the public authorities, in particular during the period of COVID 19, where the information was was there a set of measures The measures taken by the public authorities, in particular during the quarantine period, to introduce information and facilitate communication via electronic platforms to enable women to report violence against them, and other measures.
For her part, lawyer Hasnaa Alaoui from the bars of Meknes told MAP that women today have easy access to health fields, and that they have privileges and specific people who listen to them, in order to to avoid the psychological blockage they encounter during these first confrontations with these devices, and to make them aware of the fact that they have rights which are exercised within a purely legal framework, namely Law 103-13, which widely supported the legal privileges granted to women and which were presented and explained during this roundtable.
As for the second topic, adds lawyer Hasnaa Al-Alaoui, it concerned the requirements of the chapters relating to marital infidelity and prostitution, noting that there are people who deliberately use these legal chapters in the first place in order to pressure on the partner (i.e. husband or wife) or for extortion, and these chapters are used inappropriately Legally, such as depriving women of standing up for their rights because they face these requirements.