Law in Morocco that allows rapists to marry their victims

[vesuvia]

Here is a link to a BBC News article about feminist protests against a law in Morocco. The law is used to protect the patriarchal status quo of family honour in rape cases.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17379721

According to the article, "The penal code allows the 'kidnapper' of a minor to marry her to escape jail."

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Speechless.

[EduStudent]

Heard this earlier on R4. Still can't even begin to get my head around it.

[AbsentFather]

Why speechless? This is probably the law in dozens of other countries.

Talk to devout muslim males in the UK and most of them will tell you that it is permitted by the Qu'ran to rape someone that you are married to.

[Nyac]

This is pretty common and was common in this society not so long ago in the scheme of things.

If women are property then rape is a property crime. What better way to put things right than give the thief the property he has stolen already, he owns it, therefore no crime has been committed.

It was permitted in this country for men to rape their wives 20 years ago absentdad. I don't remember many men protesting that right - it was feminists who got the law changed. No need to single out Muslims - this is a male crime against women, not a religious crime.

[AbsentFather]

This is an extreme example in a country that is otherwise moving more and more towards European/western values.

I have spent much time in Morocco. In the cities I can freely associate with unmarried women in public.

Hell they even come and choose to sit with me in train carriages when I am alone and want to talk to me about life for women in Europe as well as music that they see on tv from the UK.

The villages though can still be in the middle ages. I was invited by a woman into her home in a small village about 1 hour out of Marrakech and refused knowing that the people in the village would look upon it badly.

The most striking thing is that you see women sleeping rough on the streets in the big cities. If they are thrown out by their families, they have nothing. There is no support system for them and certainly no housing.

That said the situation for women is far better in Morocco than in Pakistan or Iran.

[Beachcomber]

I hate all that misogynistic 'honour' bullshit. So much violence against women is perpetuated in the name of 'honour'. A very manipulative tool of the patriarchy.

[Nyac]

"Extreme example" - those are women's lives you're dismissing absentdad.

If you want to defend Morocco, take it somewhere else. There's probably the whole of the patriarchy to do it in.

[AbsentFather]

Morocco is a great country. They value the family and have a rich Islamic culture.

Slowly they are recognising the rights of women and have possibly made more advances than most other north African and middle eastern states. That needs to be encouraged more

I would rather be a woman in Morocco than, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi, Iran or Afghanistan.

[TheCrackFox]

It probably is a great country so long as you are not a woman.

[Portofino]

I seem to recall that such a thing is also mentioned in the Bible......Leviticus? I will go browse......

[Nyac]

Well you'll never be in that position asbsentdad, so stop trying to speak as if you're some kind of an authority.

It's a great country for men as are all countries.

[Nyac]

What a surprise that on a thread about a country where women are being forced to marry their rapists, there's some guy telling us what a great country it is.

Good grief.

[TheCrackFox]

To state that it is better than Iran and Afghanistan is hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?

[SardineQueen]

Stories along this line seem to come up a lot.

So I guess that Nyac's explanation as to why (property crime) is correct. Otherwise you would never have so many different countries coming up with the same outrageous idea.

[SardineQueen]

That story is absolutely horrifying.

Any country who would force a 16 yo to marry her rapist, have it as a cultural norm that complaints by the girl of violence to her family result in disowning, is clearly not a good place for women by any measure.

I can't believe that c* dragged her through the streets by her hair when she was dying.

The whole thing makes me feel sick.

[AbsentFather]

This is an extreme case in Morocco. It happened in a poor, conservative small town. The decision was made by a local court and undoubtedly would not happen elsewhere.

The people are out protesting in Rabat because this clearly does not fit with their values and how they see a modern Morocco. You would not get a similar demonstration of feeling in Kabul, Islamabad or Tehran where this kind of abuse is more accepted.

There are better targets for your attention than Morocco where its own people are doing a good job of improving the condition of women.

[Beachcomber]

Throwing your weight around a bit there aren't you AbF by telling us what we may and may not be bothered by .

If you don't mind, I'll continue to be shocked and angered by institutionalised, systematic violence against women. I'm perfectly capable of supporting the Moroccan people who protest against this violence whilst simultaneously condemning that violence, thank you.

[HandDivedScallopsrgreat]

Ahh the old "better target" line. Concentrate your efforts elsewhere everyone, a man has told us we should.

This issue is horrific and extremely relevant at the moment given the "We believe you" rape awareness campaign.

[AbsentFather]

Internet activism. Which sensationalised story can you be morally outraged by today? Oh the patriarchy is to blame for all injustice :)

How many 12 yr olds have been raped and married off in Pakistan or Iran today? It is of no consequence because you have the 1 incident from a progressive muslim state to focus on.

[SardineQueen]

What is sensationalised about that story?

[HandDivedScallopsrgreat]

No you are wrong AbsentFather. It is very consequential. It just happens that this is the topic being discussed today.Dismissing this as a real issue is the damaging element, and that is what you are doing.

And you have no idea what activism we do. Please don't presume that you do.

[SardineQueen]

Fact is that sitting here talking about it doesn't do much. Whether it's morocco or afghanistan or wherever.

So on the basis that this is the feminist topic of a chat forum, I think it's perfectly reasonable to talk about this story.

I am also heartened by the protests and hope that they will manage to get the law changed - a law which appears to be written into the national lawbook rather than existing in rural areas only.

[SardineQueen]

hand-dived x posts

I know that many are activists in one way or another, and support organisations here are abroad.

However us talking about these cases in a day-to-day way and expressing shock won't do much to help. Unless I guess it draws wider attention to the story and / or motivates someone to get involved in a more active way.

[Beachcomber]

Internet activism is extremely important to women. The internet has played an important role in the resurgence of feminism as a political movement. Internet activism makes it much easier for women to share their experiences, to mount campaigns, to listen to each other, to help and support each other. We share texts, presentations and book recommendations, testimonies from abused and prostituted women. The internet allows women to come together in a way we never have before .

Which is why so many men are sneery about it by trying to paint us as silly women sitting at home in our western luxury enjoying a bit of 'moral outrage' at the behaviour of furriners. How Offensive.

[SardineQueen]

So I don't understand why we're not supposed to talk about this.

It's not as if we've got a large amount of money and we're trying to decide what cause to spend it on.