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Rabat – The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) continues to closely follow the investigation into a serious case of child sexual assault uncovered during the annual Moulay Abdellah Moussem. A forensic medical examination revealed evidence of collective sexual abuse against the minor victim.
So far, five individuals have been arrested and presented this morning before the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in El Jadida. They have been referred to the investigative judge to pursue further legal proceedings.
Following directives from the President of the CNDH, the council and its regional committee in Casablanca-Settat have taken proactive steps to coordinate with judicial and medical authorities. Monitoring and follow-up committees were established both nationally and regionally since the child was referred to forensic examination in El Jadida.
In its statement, the council commended the public’s condemnation of such heinous acts against children and welcomed growing instances of reporting sexual abuse cases. It renewed its call to end impunity and enforce stricter penalties against those found guilty or complicit in sexual assaults against minors.
The CNDH also recalled its recommendations from October 2019 regarding draft law 10.16 to amend the Penal Code, particularly advocating for redefining rape to include all forms of sexual assault, regardless of the gender or relationship of the victim and perpetrator, and for harsher penalties in cases involving minors.
The council praised responsible media coverage that protects the child’s identity and urged all media outlets to uphold the highest professional standards to prevent victim stigmatization. It strongly condemned stigmatizing discourse directed at the victim, including some well-intentioned messages of solidarity that inadvertently normalize or minimize the severity of sexual assault against girls.
The CNDH also denounced the spread of misleading videos falsely linked to the case, some of which gained significant viewership. It warned against narratives that trivialize such crimes by focusing on the number of alleged perpetrators or the victim’s past. The child victim is now in the care of their family.
The council reaffirmed that rape and sexual assault are one and the same crime, regardless of the victim’s gender, and stressed the urgent need for justice, accountability, and stronger protections for children.
The child, referred to as W.B., is a 13-year-old boy who lost his father and whose mother suffers from a serious mental illness. He attended the festival accompanied by a group of young men from Youssoufia, Sidi Benour, and Sidi Ahmed. During the event, some of these individuals repeatedly drugged and sexually abused him.
When the boy regained consciousness, he discovered that 14 men had assaulted him over the course of several days, beginning on Tuesday.
After returning to his hometown of Youssoufia on Friday, the boy, in a severely distressed psychological state, revealed the abuse to his neighbors, who usually look after him as his mother is ill.
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