Morocco women struggle against marital violence, stereotypes
RABAT, Morocco — For 23 years, Khadija says her husband raped her, nearly every day.
And her case is far from unique, according to counsellors at the Annajda Center in Rabat, one of over 1,000 associations in Morocco working to advance women’s rights in the Muslim majority kingdom.
“I recall one time having just arrived home. He jumped on me at once, snatching my djellaba, and pushing me into the bedroom,” she recounted, her eyes wide with the pain of the memory of how her tormentor tore her long robe.
“I knew what awaited me. He beat me. He raped me. He left me in blood and tears,” she recounted to The Associated Press. She spoke on condition that her last name not be used, fearing for her safety.