Marrakech sex tourism scandal: minor raped by six foreigners
The horror of a gang rape of a young girl shakes the city of Marrakech. The involvement of six foreigners and a restaurant manager revives child rights advocates’ fears regarding networks of nighttime exploitation.
The criminal chain began in the Guéliz district. According to the complaint filed with the Royal Gendarmerie, the young victim was first targeted and lured into a restaurant on Ibn Aïcha Street. Her attackers then took her to a villa on the outskirts of Marrakech, where six individuals of Indian nationality subjected her to collective sexual assault.
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In response to this tragedy, the local section of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) addressed the judicial authorities. Ongoing investigations have already led to the arrest of the restaurant manager, detained on May 11 for facilitating this trap. Investigators are now analyzing surveillance camera footage to understand how a minor was able to access this type of establishment.
This tragedy reignites the anger of activists, still marked by the past escape of a Kuwaiti national suspected of child sexual abuse before even his trial. The AMDH protests against the proliferation of networks operating in certain riads, nightclubs and other shisha cafés, which have become hideouts for child abuse.
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To eradicate these serious violations of laws combating human trafficking, the association demands an end to all impunity and urgent medical, social and psychological support for the survivor. Rights defenders are pressing police and authorities to impose drastic controls on accommodations and nighttime venues, in order to urgently guarantee "clean" and secure tourism.
