The association “Hands off my child” (“ما تقيش ولدي”) issued a press release that thanked the Moroccan police services for formalizing the forthcoming implementation of a mechanism for protecting children against violence, exploitation, and trafficking, inspired by the North American system “Amber Alert.”
The DGSN will set up a mechanism in partnership with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. According to our sources, it will allow rapid dissemination of accurate information to find a kidnapped child throughout the country. It will also complete the usual investigation procedures: triggering intervention plans or arrests, calling for witnesses, immediate neighborhood investigation, combing, disseminating clues, etc.
The “Hands off my child” association had called for implementing this mechanism and named it after Adnane Bouchouf. The disappearance, murder, and rape of this eleven-year-old boy was a case that shocked Moroccan public opinion. The body of young Adnane was found in September 2020, five days after his disappearance in the popular district of Tangier where he lived. The investigation led to the arrest of a worker who had sent a ransom note to the child’s relatives to make them believe he had been kidnapped. The man was accused of taking the boy to his rented apartment, raping and killing him before burying him nearby. He was sentenced to death, and his roommates were sentenced to four months for “failing to report a crime.”
Several nongovernmental organizations called on local and regional government authorities and institutions to fund programs for children’s protection.