WUNRN
Women's Learning Partnership
MOROCCO - MAJOR REFORM TO RAPE LAW
THANKS TO WOMEN'S MOVEMENT STRONG ADVOCACY
January 9, 2014 - Following significant
advocacy by WLP Morocco/ADFM and other Moroccan women’s rights organizations,
on January 8, 2014, the Moroccan Parliament finally adopted the draft law to
amend article 475 of the Criminal /penal Code, which allowed rapists to escape
prosecution if they married their victim. This article has mainly been used to
justify the traditional practice of pressuring the victim to marry her rapist
in the name of “preserving the honor of the girl’s family.” This new
amendment removes the second paragraph of the article, lifting the immunity of
the rapist and preventing him from marrying his victim. Momentum for the
reform increased exponentially following then 2012 tragic death of 16-year-old
Amina Filali –authorities believe she was either murdered by her rapists’
family or committed suicide–after being forced to marry her rapist. The
bill to amend Article 475 was proposed by the Socialist Group in the
parliament.
The day before the Bill was to be debated
in parliament, the Spring of Dignity Coalition, which includes ADFM, sent a
letter to all members of parliament to stress the demands of the feminist
movement concerning this amendment, urging for the movements’ appeals to be
considered during the Bill’s deliberations. This long-overdue reform marks a
significant step for the women of