Victims of harassment case in Morocco demand a break in the silence

Young Moroccan women who have been assaulted and harassed called for breaking the silence and exposing those involved, with the announcement on Friday of the filing of four judicial complaints against French businessman Jacques Petité, arrested in the case of "rape of a minor" that raises interest in France.

Three of the four complainants, along with activists of the Moroccan Association for Victims' Rights, attended a press conference in Tangiers, during which it was announced that the four complaints about acts of "human trafficking, sexual harassment and verbal and moral violence" had been filed, according to a member of the association, lawyer Karima Salama, told AFP.

They confirmed that they were dismissed from work after refusing to submit to "harassment and blackmail" by Pottier, who was running this company, in incidents dating between 2018 and 2022.

The filing of these complaints with the Public Prosecution Office in Tangiers came after similar cases emerged in France in which Poitier was accused.

The complainants, whose ages ranged between 26 and 28 years, preferred to cover their faces with medical masks and glasses and not to reveal their names “to protect them,” as explained by the association’s president, Aisha Kalla.

Fear of social stigma and negative judgments often constitute obstacles that prevent women victims of sexual assaults from speaking and also from filing judicial complaints, despite the adoption by Morocco a few years ago of a law that tightens penalties against sexual harassment.

One of the complainants addressed the journalists, "I dared to speak today because I want to give a lesson to all harassers (...) and they are many in the world, but also to send a message of hope to all victims of sexual harassment."

"It is time for all of us to wake up and end this normalization with workplace harassment," she added.

The young woman, who was speaking, covering her face with dark glasses, accused her former employer and other company officials of "offering financial inducements" to make concessions.

She confirmed that she was subjected to "terrible pressures" that ended with her dismissal from work, because of her refusal to "subject to temptations."

Another complainant, who was sitting next to her, added, "It was a difficult period during which I suffered a lot. I am speaking today because I no longer feel alone after I knew that there were a number of other victims in France and Morocco."

The young woman, in turn, accused Poitier of dismissing her, after she "refused his harassment of her," continuing, "I say to those who are still afraid, this is the time to break the silence."

 A third young woman among the witnesses said that the defendant had molested her, and I was still in shock, without anyone supporting me.”

"At some point I lost faith in everyone, and I started to think that getting a job for a woman necessarily means that she will be harassed," she added.

In their testimonies, the three young women denounced the “complicity of other Moroccan and French officials” in the company, of which Poitier resigned from his presidency after his arrest, denouncing the “exploitation of the vulnerability of female employees” in this institution that has three branches in Tangiers.

The Moroccan Public Prosecution has not yet announced any decision regarding these accusations contained in the complaints filed against Poitier.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news