The hysterical and unfounded support of many artists and fans, including women, for Saad Lamjarred, who was sentenced to six years in prison by the Paris Court of Assizes for rape and assault, reveals why only 6, 6% of harassed and abused women in Morocco file a complaint, according to the HCP.
Moroccan women choose silence so as not to face an oppressive society and outdated laws. What is even more distressing is that some Moroccan women stand up for the aggressors and blame the victims, like a shroud that stifles the voices of the oppressed.
This is clear evidence of the oppression of women in Moroccan society, an oppression found in discriminatory laws and the lack of recognition of their autonomy. This masculine subjection, moreover, feeds on a culture that considers women as objects at the disposal of men, whereas on the contrary they should be recognized as dignified and equal human beings. It must be said today that silence will not protect women in Morocco, or in any other country. Silence will not protect women from repressive laws that are used to control and silence them.
We can no longer afford to remain silent, because our silence makes us complicit in these atrocities. We must speak out loud and clear once morest these injustices, because we are the guardians of our own destiny. Now is the time to break the silence and take action to protect women’s rights.
This means strengthening our legal system so that perpetrators of all social classes are punished and that justice is done for victims. It also involves working to change social norms that perpetuate the culture of rape and oppression, instilling the values of equality and respect in all citizens from an early age.
We must also work to abolish discriminatory marriage, divorce and property laws that perpetuate the systemic oppression of women. Ultimately, we need collective action to realize this vision, action that recognizes the value and dignity of every woman. And translates it into public policies, the media and textbooks. Only a society that treats women with equality and respect will be a just and empowering society for all.