"Abortion yacht led out of Morocco; Dutch activists for women’s rights are jeered at protest" by Paul Schemm |
Associated Press, October 05, 2012
SMIR, Morocco — Moroccan police escorted from its waters on Thursday a
small yacht carrying women’s rights activists claiming to be able to
perform abortions on board, after antiabortion protesters jeered them on
land.
The Dutch group Women on Waves sailed the boat around the northern
Moroccan harbor with banners advertising an information hotline about
abortion, which is illegal in most cases in this North African country.
A day earlier, the group had said that a ship that can provide
‘‘safe, legal, medical abortions’’ up until 6½ weeks of pregnancy was on
its way from the Netherlands. Medical professionals have traveled
before to European nations to raise awareness; the group’s founder said
that abortions had been performed aboard ship in international waters
off of Poland.
The trip in the harbor of the Mediterranean coastal town of Smir was
the abortion rights group’s first event in a Muslim country.
Abortion in Morocco is illegal — except in rare cases where the
mother’s life is threatened — and it is also illegal to give out
information about it. Moroccan officials had said the boat would not be
allowed into the harbor and police sealed the port for what they called
‘‘military maneuvers,’’ denying journalists access.
But in the afternoon, activists from Women on Waves said they already
had stationed a sailboat in the harbor several days ago, fearing the
port would be closed. That boat took off around the harbor, about an
hour after the group’s founder approached crowds of protesters on the
ground, trying to hand out fliers on abortion in Arabic and French.
Police later boarded the Dutch-flagged yacht and escorted it out of the marina. No one was charged.
‘‘We launched a hotline that gives information to women here in
Morocco, because the ship can never solve the problem here for
everyone,’’ said Rebecca Gomperts, the organization’s founder. The
hotline contains a recorded message explaining which easily available
medication in Morocco can be used to perform an abortion.
Some 200 protesters in Smir targeted the activists outside the sealed gates of the marina.
‘‘We are here because we cannot accept these values, the values of
massacre,’’ said protester Abdessamad Zilali, 23. ‘‘It is not part of
our tradition to kill the unborn.’’
--more--"
Why do that when they can work?
"Morocco curbing use of child labor" by PAUL SCHEMM |
Associated Press, November 16, 2012
RABAT, Morocco — The country has made progress in reducing the
number of girls working as domestic servants but much more needs to be
done, Human Rights Watch reported Thursday.
Tens of thousands of girls under the age of 15 are still working as
domestic servants in Morocco, and they are subject to abuse and poor
conditions and have no legal protection, the group said.
It's no fun being an illegal alien!
However, its
research says their number is less than seven years ago, due to efforts
to raise awareness and enforce labor laws.
‘‘The government says the amount of child labor has declined and
school enrollments have increased,’’ said Jo Becker, the group’s child
advocacy coordinator.
The US-based rights group was following up on its 2005 study that
found some 86,000 girls were working as maids in violation of the law.
--more--"
Maybe they just need a kiss.
Also see: Clubbing in Morocco
Road to Morocco
I'm getting off the Globe path, sorry.
UPDATE:
"Morocco to change law allowing rape marriage" by SMAIL BELLAOUALI | Associated Press, January 24, 2013
RABAT, Morocco — Nearly a year after Morocco was shocked by the suicide of a 16-year-old girl who was coerced by a judge to marry her alleged rapist, the government revealed plans to outlaw the traditional practice.
Women’s rights activists welcomed Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid’s announcement but said it was only a first step in reforming a penal code that doesn’t do enough to stop violence against women in this North African kingdom....
In March, 16-year-old Amina al-Filali poisoned herself to get out of a seven-month-old abusive marriage to a 23-year-old she said had raped her. Her parents and a judge had pushed the marriage to protect the family honor. The suicide sparked calls for the law to be changed. The traditional practice can be found across the Middle East and in such places as India and Afghanistan, where the loss of a woman’s virginity out of wedlock is considered to stain the honor of the family or tribe.
While the marriage age is officially 18, judges routinely approve much younger unions in this deeply traditional country of 32 million with high illiteracy and poverty.
For nearly a year, the Islamist-dominated government balked at reforming the law.
‘‘Changing this article is a good thing but it doesn’t meet all of our demands,’’ said Khadija Ryadi, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. ‘‘The penal code has to be totally reformed because it contains many provisions that discriminate against women and doesn’t protect women against violence.’’
She singled out parts of the law that distinguish between ‘‘rape resulting in deflowering and just plain rape.’’
--more--"
