The 21st national campaign against violence towards women and girls kicked off on Monday in Rabat in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
Under the slogan “Violence is condemned, let’s report it wherever it is,” the campaign aims to promote a safer environment for women and girls, reject violence, and raise awareness about the importance of combating all forms of violence.
The initiative coincides with the UNiTE campaign (November 25th – December 10th), a UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence initiative, and runs until December 10.
At the launch, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family Aawatif Hayar emphasized the need to raise awareness about violence against women, to denounce it, and to make sure perpetrators do not go unpunished.
“The ministry is keen to make this campaign a crucial step for societal mobilization, the preservation of achievements, and the creation of a healthy environment rejecting all forms of violence and discrimination,” she said. “It is an incentive for everyone to get involved in national efforts to combat this phenomenon.”
There are now 105 centers all over Morocco that provide care for women victims of violence, the minister noted, and partnership agreements have been signed with 57 anti-violence listening centers for the year 2023.
The Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, the National Mutual Aid, and the 2023 anti-violence listening centers signed a partnership during the opening ceremony, which provides for three years of assistance to women victims of violence instead of one year.
UNFPA Deputy Representative Abdellah Yaakoub commended Morocco’s progress in promoting human rights and women’s rights and reiterated UNFPA’s commitment to supporting gender equality in Morocco.
Ambassador of Denmark to Morocco Jesper Kammersgaard also highlighted the “strong Morocco-Denmark-UNFPA partnership” in the fight against violence towards women and the importance of working together to empower women.