Another sexual assault video emerges in Morocco

Another sexual assault video emerges in Morocco

Police in Casablanca are investigating a video of a man sexually assaulting a young woman that went viral on social media.
2 min read
22 October, 2018
The video shows a man forcefully grabbing a woman on a deserted road [Twitter]
A video of a man sexually assaulting a young woman in Casablanca went viral on social media on Saturday, prompting authorities to open an investigation, police in Morocco said.

The video, recorded by bystanders who did not interfere to stop the attack, shows a man forcefully grabbing a woman on a deserted road.

The incident took place in eastern Casablanca's Ain Sebaa, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said in a statement.

The attempted rape was under investigation, the DGSN said, adding that no official complaint was made over the incident.

In Morocco, media and rights groups regularly raise the alarm about endemic violence against women.

Last month, Rabat introduced a law to combat violence against women after thousands called for action in the wake of a gang-rape case.

As authorities begin enforcing the law, a dozen suspects are being held over the alleged gang-rape of 17-year-old Khadija Okkarou.

In a video posted online last month, Okkarou said she had been kidnapped, raped and tortured by a gang over a period of two months.

More than 40 percent of women said they had been "victims of an act of violence at least once", in a survey carried out by Morocco's High Commission for Planning which surveyed those living in towns and aged between 18 and 64.