Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 05:15
The Rabat Court of Appeal sentenced those involved in the rape of the “child of Tiflet” to 20 years in prison, as it sentenced the main accused, who caused the victim’s pregnancy, to 10 years in prison, while other defendants who had sex with her were sentenced to 10 years.
In a statement to Hespress newspaper, Khaled al-Sharqawi al-Sammouni, head of the National Center for Combating Violence and Child Abuse, praised the ruling that corrected the preliminary ruling, and considered it “a lesson for child rapists and a strong reference to the principle of non-impunity, and a response to the consideration of the child and her family.”
Al-Samouni also called on the judicial authorities to “not be lenient or tolerant of child rape crimes, given their seriousness and their physical and psychological effects on the victims, as they remain attached to them or to them for life.” At the same time, he called for a review of criminal legislation to tighten penalties in this type of crimes, activating child protection mechanisms and providing them with medical and psychological support in cases of sexual assault or rape.