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Marrakech – A recent working paper by independent researcher Daniel Tuki reveals significant variations in attitudes toward intimate partner violence across Africa, with Morocco showing relatively moderate levels of support for beating one’s wife compared to other countries on the continent.
According to the study “Exposure to violent conflict and attitudes toward wife beating in Africa,” published this month by Afrobarometer, about 24% of Moroccans believe it is either “sometimes” or “always” justifiable for a man to beat his wife.
This places Morocco in a middle position among the 39 African countries surveyed, well below the highest rates found in Gabon (67%), Guinea (63%), and Congo-Brazzaville (61%).
The comprehensive study analyzed data from rounds 7 and 9 of the Afrobarometer surveys conducted between 2016 and 2023, covering nearly 100,000 respondents across Africa. The research found that overall, 28% of Africans support wife beating, with 19% believing it is “sometimes justified” and 9% saying it is “always justified.”
Tuki’s analysis revealed a surprising correlation between exposure to violent conflict and attitudes toward domestic violence. Contrary to initial hypotheses, individuals living in areas with higher incidence of violent conflict were less likely to support wife beating.
The researcher suggests this negative correlation might exist because “individuals who are exposed to violence are well aware of its devastating effects and hence are more likely to oppose wife beating.”
The study also identified several socioeconomic factors influencing attitudes toward intimate partner violence. Higher levels of education were associated with lower support for wife beating, while poverty and unemployment corresponded with greater acceptance of the practice. Additionally, rural residents were more likely than urban dwellers to endorse wife beating.
Gender differences were also evident in the findings, with men (32%) more likely than women (27%) to support wife beating. However, the study found that the negative correlation between conflict exposure and support for domestic violence persisted across both gender groups.
The research challenges previous single-country studies that had often reported a positive correlation between conflict exposure and intimate partner violence. Tuki suggests that peace-building programs frequently implemented in conflict-affected areas may contribute to stronger opposition to violent behavior among residents of these regions.
Countries with the lowest support for wife beating included Cabo Verde (3%), Madagascar (6%), Malawi (6%), and Eswatini (7%).
The study brings to light the persistent societal and institutional barriers to addressing intimate partner violence effectively, with nearly half of Africans (49%) believing domestic violence is a private issue best handled within the family rather than through law enforcement.
A pressing social challenge
Violence against women remains one of Morocco’s most pressing social challenges, deeply rooted in the country’s still-patriarchal structures. Despite important reforms and legal advances, statistics show that abuse – whether physical, psychological, sexual, or economic – continues to affect millions of women across the country.
According to the most recent national survey by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) in 2019, more than 57% of Moroccan women aged 15 to 74 – over 7.6 million individuals – reported experiencing at least one act of violence in the preceding year.
The most common form was psychological violence, affecting nearly half of women, while physical, sexual, and economic forms followed in varying degrees. Violence within intimate relationships is especially alarming: nearly 46% of women experienced abuse at the hands of a partner or ex-partner.
Yet, despite the scale of the problem, only about one in ten survivors formally report incidents to authorities, a reality that shows the persistence of social stigma, fear of reprisal, and enduring cultural norms that normalize male dominance.
These norms reflect Morocco’s patriarchal legacy. Surveys indicate that a serious portion of society still views domestic violence as a “private matter,” with some respondents even suggesting that women should “endure violence to preserve family stability.” Such attitudes illustrate how social pressures often silence victims and prevent them from seeking justice or protection.
In response to years of activism, Morocco adopted Law 103-13 on combating violence against women in 2018, a milestone often described as the first comprehensive legal framework on the issue.
The law introduced protective measures such as restraining and no-contact orders, eviction of abusive spouses from the marital home, and mandatory psychological treatment for offenders.
It also criminalized new forms of abuse, including sexual harassment in public spaces, cyberviolence such as “revenge porn,” and forced marriage, with harsher penalties when victims are minors or women with disabilities. Courts, police stations, gendarmerie posts, and hospitals were instructed to create support units to receive and guide survivors.
Nevertheless, rights groups stress that gaps remain. Access to protection often requires women to file a criminal complaint, something many are reluctant to do. Marital rape is still not explicitly recognized as a crime, shelters and victim-support services remain underfunded, and legal duties of police and judges are not always clearly defined.
The broader legal and policy environment has also shifted in recent years. Morocco’s 2011 Constitution, particularly Article 19, explicitly enshrined the principle of equality between men and women and committed the state to promote parity.
At the international level, Morocco ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1993, later joining the Optional Protocol in 2012, and withdrew its key reservations – most notably those related to Article 9 (on nationality rights for women) and Article 16 (on equality in marriage and family relations) – in 2011.
Domestically, one of the most significant frameworks shaping women’s rights is the Family Code (Moudawana), first reformed in 2004. While the 2004 reform limited polygamy by requiring judicial authorization and the consent of the first wife, critics argued that loopholes remained.
The current reform process, launched by King Mohammed VI in 2023, is expected to go further: expanding women’s rights in custody and guardianship, tightening restrictions on polygamy, and reducing judicial exceptions for under-age marriage, which had undermined the original ban set at 18 years.
Despite this progress, the continuance of violence against women reveals a deep contradiction: laws on paper promise protection, but cultural attitudes, weak enforcement, and limited resources hinder their effectiveness.
For Moroccan women, the fight against violence remains not just a legal struggle but also a battle against centuries of entrenched social norms.
Read also: Why Morocco’s Gender-Based Violence Campaign Needs Us All
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