(27 Nov 2019) LEAD IN:
In Morocco, more than half of the women are victims of gender-based violence.
Some organizations are providing them with legal counselling and a safe space to speak.
STORY-LINE:
Lamrani Nezha is a victim of domestic violence.
Wedded young, most of her marriage has been marred by abuse and violence.
"I got married at the age of 16, this was a love marriage, I have four sons, but I suffered a lot in my life with him," says Nezha.
"I did not find what I wanted in this life, he never spent money, he was not responsible for his family, I did everything for my family, and he beat me, especially when I went to work and when I came back late, he beat me, he asked me why I was late and where I was going."
Nezha is the breadwinner of her family - three sons and a daughter.
She works as a housekeeper and rents her own place.
Her husband, after years of abusing her, left the family.
But Nezha never had the courage to seek help until her colleague told her about a center for women victims of domestic violence.
"I had no idea about the association and then I was always afraid of taking a step, until my colleague told me about the association, then I went to them, they helped me," says Nezha.
At the Help Center for Women Victims of Violence, known as ANNAJDA Center in Rabat, Nezha found a safe space to tell her story.
"In recent years, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of cases of psychological abuse, this type of violence has become an alternative to physical violence, because the latter gives rise to the most severe sanctions, men now practise psychological violence against women to put pressure on them and force them to seek a divorce, this causes many psychological problems for women who have become depressed and suffer from many diseases," explains Amina El Abbouni, a worker at ANNAJDA Center.
"Women find their own space to talk about their suffering, we helped them to not hide the violence exerted on them, it is also a positive thing, in addition to the organization of training workshops for women to strengthen their legal capacities," says the center's president Fatima Meghnaoui.
Thanks to the center's help, Nezha says her husband has finally accepted he must provide for his children and now visits them weekly.
ANNAJDA Center in Rabat was created in March 1996 by the Union of Feminist Action in Rabat.
The same union has 12 other centers in the other Moroccan cities.
The center has received in a year more than 351 cases of abuse.
Fifty-four percent of women are victims of gender-based violence, according to a survey conducted by Morocco's Family Ministry.
In 2018, a new Law was introduced to combat violence against women. The law imposes financial penalties and up to six months of prison on the perpetrator.
"The law is important, but it is not good enough, awareness workshops are also necessary, we do not want only seasonal campaigns, but we must work on it daily," says Meghnaoui.
In Rabat's "16th of November" square, an event is organized by the United Nations to launch the "16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women" campaign .
The campaign seeks to involve men under the theme "Positive Masculinities: men and boys reject violence against women and girls".
The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of men's positive role in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women and girls.
Institutions, various ministries and non-governmental organizations are participating in the event.
She found help in one of the women's organizations.
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