Teenage rape case that shocked Morocco shows system 'still hates women'

A prominent Moroccan writer says despite the arrest of a group of men over the alleged kidnap and rape of a teenager, he fears nothing will change.

Moroccan teenager Khadija. Source: AFP / Getty images

A Morrocan novelist and filmmaker who penned an essay about a rape case involving a 17-year-old girl says he is concerned the case will "soon be forgotten" in a society "that still hates women". 

Abdellah Taïa and a group of Moroccan authors expressed anger in an essay penned in French newspaper French Liberation last week and called on the government to stop ignoring the issue. 

In a case that has shocked the country, a girl named Khadija claimed she was kidnapped during Ramadan before being tortured and raped by as many as 15 men for two months. She also alleged the group drugged her and tattooed her skin.

Moroccan writer Abdellah Taïa. Source: Getty Images

A dozen men were arrested following the publication of the essay, in which Taïa wrote: “It is not life anymore, this is a jungle and as always women are paying the price of all malfunctions from a society that doesn’t want to grow up”.

He described in the piece how the group of men allegedly treated Khadija: “they were sharing the girl between them. A doll. A little dog. A sexual slave,” and called on the government to bring in new laws to protect individuals.

“We have to give them back their rights and explain what they mean. We need to educate them.”

But speaking to The Guardian on Wednesday, he said he feared nothing would change.

“The police will say: ‘We punished the criminals, what else to do?’ The state will be happy … And in the meantime we will forget that the affair is not only about Khadija. It's about a whole system that still hates women and considers them as nothing." 

"This catastrophic situation is the real image of what is going on in general in Morocco,” he claimed.

Khadija displays tattoos as she sits in the village of Oulad Ayad (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images) Source: AFP - Getty images

A recent UN report found more than half of men in Morocco admitted to having sexually harassed a woman or a girl. Sixty-two per cent of men also said they believed women should tolerate violence in order to keep the family together.

UNICEF Morocco praised the authors for speaking out about the case. "Thank you for your interest and involvement for the rights of the children," the organisation tweeted. 

A Change.org petition to draw attention to Khadija's story has gained more than 110,000 signatures. 

The trial is expected to start next week.