Fez city: 7 women out of 10 victim of violence, survey
Morocco, Culture, 3/10/2003

A survey conducted in the city of Fes on domestic violence reveals that 7 women out of ten are victim of violence, and that 5 out of 10 do not report it.

Conducted by the association "initiatives for women rights protection (IDPF)," the study, covering some 995 women aged 20-70 from different social layers, aims to shed the light on the phenomenon, still a taboo in the Moroccan society.

Women were found to have sustained different kinds of violence: physical 49.5%, psychological 66.4%, sexual 26.7%, and material 16.7%.

The study shows that women aged 20 to 40 represent 63.9% of violence victims, and the younger the age at the first marriage is, the worse violence is.

According to the study, the phenomenon has noting to do with women's education, since 40.3% of the victims received higher education. However, there seem to be more cases involving housewives and inactive women than with those with a professional activity.

The researchers also highlight the link between the nature and size of the dwelling and the frequency of violence acts. It was deduced that 8 out of 10 women living in shanty towns are victims of violence.

As to the profile of violent husbands, seven out of ten, are from rural areas, 76.4% are almost illiterate and 87% jobless.

A rate of 43.7% of the victims keep silent about such acts while 17% chose to leave home and 2.7% go to the police.

Several factors including illiteracy, unemployment, shame, lack of family solidarity and rigidity of the family law contribute to their silence.

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