morrocan teen to marry rapist commits suicide

8/2/2019 Morrocan Teen To Marry Rapist Commits Suicide

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Moroccan Teen to Marry Rapist Commits Suicide

THE NEWS

A recent news struck Morocco this past few days because a girl named Amina al-Filali drank a

deadly liquid that is known to be a rat poison because she was forced to be married to the man

who raped her.

Amina, being pressured by a buttoned-down society, the law and her mother. She had to marry

a man who has raped and beaten her in and out of their marriage. Because she was

distressed by the excruciating experience of rape and the beating of her husband and her

husband’s family she only had one choice to escape the torment she’s experiencing –suicide.

The victim was forced to marry her rapist because her loss of virginity was considered to be a

dishonor to her family; especially she is under 18 years old.

In many conservative societies, a daughter having a sexual intercourse outside marriage brings

a big disgrace to a family's honor, and that it can only be solutioned by marrying both parties.

THE PRESSURE

Her family

The families of the rape victims push their daughters to marry their rapists because it is

a way to escape scandal.



Amina’s mother, Zohrah Filali

had to let her daughter marry the

rapist because she wanted her

daughter to have a future and

have a family of her own –

Moroccan families fear that

their daughters will never find

a husband because they were

raped.

After her mother knew that Amina was raped, she took Amina with her to the house of

the rapist and there demanded that they should get married.

Not considering of how it happened, her mother forced her daughter to marry the man

or else, Amina’s life would be over. According to Zohrah, they would be the butt of all

the jokes of their neighbor.

The Court

Lahsan al-Filali, the father of Amina, said in an interview that even from the start of the

case, it was the court officials’ suggestion that the two should be married.

He added that he didn’t agree about the marriage of Amina and her rapist, instead the

man should be jailed. But the Court of Family Affairs forced him to agree to the

marriage.

The Law

Amina’s family had to let this girl marry her because they are following Morocco’s Penal

Code that obliges a raped girl the man who raped her.

Under Moroccan law, rape is punished by by five to 10 years in prison or between 10 and 20

years if the victim is a minor.



And there is an article under it that states:

that when an adult corrupts a minor without the use of violence, threat, or

fraud, the sentence is five years of imprisonment, whether or not there has been

sexual intercourse; further, if the minor has married the adult, then the adult can

only be tried if the minor’s legal guardians press charges and obtain an

annulment.

Commentators look at this law as a loophole of families to remove the shame their daughter

somewhat brought to them.

CONCERNED PEOPLE

The painful suffering, the rape, the beating and the

death of Amina al-Filali didn’t leave the people

uncaring. The people were stood up, their protests

spread all over the country.

Other countries’s mainstream media and the social

media expressed their repugnance at Amina’s issue.

Activists made petitions online; they even went out to streets to protest about the rape-

marriage law.



An online appeal, a Facebook page and innumerable

tweets uttered horror over the suicide of Amina al-

Filali.

In Facebook, a fan page named “We are all Amina

Filali” has been set up and a signature campaign was

made as an online petition to the Moroccan

government to end the law or practice of marrying

rapists and victims.

Here is a sentiment of a concerned person named Abadila, Maaelaynine.

“Amina, 16, was triply violated, by her rapist, by tradit ion and by Article 475 of

the Moroccan law,” tweeted activist Abadila Maaelaynine.

Pictures of Amina were held up as people chant, “Let’s… end the marriage of minors” in Arabic.

morrocan teen to marry rapist commits suicide

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