Outrage in Morocco After Teen Allegedly Abused at Major Cultural Festival

A teenage boy was tragically subjected to a horrific gang rape at the annual Moulay Abdellah Amghar festival in El Jadida province on the Atlantic coast earlier this month.

The 13-year-old attended the festival with a group of young men from Youssoufia, Sifi Benour, and Sifi Ahmed. Reports suggest that during the event, some of these men repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted him.

When the boy regained consciousness, he found out that 14 men had attacked him in a tent over several days. Upon returning to his hometown of Youssoufia, the boy, who is fatherless and has a disabled mother, reportedly revealed the abuse to his neighbors.

The neighbors immediately reported the incident to the police and took him to the provincial hospital in Youssoufia. He was later transferred to the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Marrakesh for specialized treatment.

This horrifying case has sparked outrage in Morocco, with the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) urging the Attorney General in Rabat to initiate an urgent investigation, according to reports by the Express, reports the Express US.

In a letter written by Mohamed Yassir, head of AMDH’s local committee in Youssoufia, the association demanded that child sexual assault be recognized as a serious human rights violation and a crime under Moroccan law.

The group further stated that Morocco has obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, calling on the government to ensure full protection for minors from exploitation and violence.

After the incident, Moroccans took to social media to express their disbelief, questioning how such a disaster could happen during a significant annual cultural festival attended by thousands.