Nearly 5000 Cases of Violence Against Women in Morocco In 2007 | Report

A total of 4799 cases of violence against women were reported in 2007, according to Moroccan NGO, Union de l'action feminine (the Union of Women's Action, UAF),In a report, presented at a press conference, the UAF said physical abuses top the list with 1436 cases (30%), followed by refusal of alimony: 759 cases (16%), expulsion from the matrimonial home: 608 cases (13%) , psychological violence: 515 cases (11%), and single mothers: 395 cases (8%). The other cases concern divorce: 199 (4%), children not registered in the civil status: 175 (4%), abandoned families: 157 (3%), home leaving, 155: (3%), and finally sexual harassment with 90 reported cases (2%). A report on the first half of 2007, released recently by another Moroccan NGO, la Ligue democratique des droits de la femme (the Democratic League of Women's Rights, LDDH), said over 96% of the cases of violence against women are committed by an intimate relative. It showed that housewives are the most exposed to violence with 57% of the documented cases, and that 88% of the battered women are aged 18-48.