In March 2012, sixteen year old Amina Filali committed suicide after being forced to marry her rapist. According to article 475 of Moroccan criminal law, the charges of sexual assault are dropped when the rapist accepts marrying his victim. As a result, Amina was forced into marrying her rapist (Reparation Agreement) between the victim’s family and the accused’s family. Local authorities gave their blessing for this decision, in order to “save” the victim’s family honor. Unfortunately, many families in Morocco approve such marriages to avoid scandal and dishonor upon their families. They force their daughters to obey their wishes and comply with the unwanted marriage.
“We Are All Amina Filali”: A Campaign for Change
Amina Filali’s suicide shook the communities of human rights groups, women rights activists and the Moroccan feminist movement. Petitions under the name of “We Are All Amina Filali” started as part of a sixteen day campaign to fight against violence towards women. The campaign’s goal was to raise awareness of Amina’s tragedy and to put that law under the spotlight. Through petitions and hashtags on twitter under the hashtag of #AminaFilali #RIPAmina, Amina’s case was heard. People from around the world denounced the law.
Through the campaign, thousands of voices called for the abolition of article 475 of the Moroccan criminal law. They called for the protection of underaged girls and women against violence, and for justice. In addition, they called on Morocco to enforce the prohibition of child marriages and prohibit judges of the criminal court from intimidating the victims into marrying their assailants, in cases of sexual violence in particular. They also asked them to take the necessary measures to protect children, and to provide training to law enforcement, as an urgent matter, and to respect the international treaties Morocco had signed to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, children’s rights treaties and the international covenant on civil and political rights, as well as to respect the Moroccan constitution itself.
A Landmark Victory for Women’s Rights
In January 2014, the Moroccan parliament approved revising article 475 of the criminal law. This article formerly exempted child rapists from jail time if they accepted marrying their victim. This meant rapists could no longer evade legal action by marrying a minor.
This tactic is easy to replicate because it combines two proven methods: online activism and naming and shaming: 1) Online Activism: Social media is a powerful tool for quickly spreading information to large groups. It raises awareness about injustices and allows people worldwide to support a cause by sharing articles or using hashtags. However, social media alone may be slow to bring change, and keeping attention on a cause can be difficult as new issues emerge. 2) Naming and Shaming: This tactic highlights government failures to follow their own laws or international treaties. By publicly calling out these abuses, activists pressure governments to uphold their commitments. Governments often care about their international reputation, making this strategy effective. For example, the Moroccan Feminist Movement used both methods to push for changes in their country’s laws.
New Tactics in Human Rights does not advocate for or endorse specific tactics, policies or issues.
