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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
November 1, 2005
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| October 16, 2005 |
Standing Up and Speaking out Against Violence – Saida Drissi Amrani |
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| Moroccan activist for women’s rights, Saida Drissi Amrani. |
Moroccan activist for gender equality, Saida Drissi Amrani, was a powerful presence onboard Peace Boat from Egypt to Morocco. A passionate campaigner, she came onboard as a guest speaker, contributing her experiences and knowledge as a women living and working in a patriarchal society.
Saida has been involved in the women’s rights movement for 20 years, and is a member of the Democratic Organization of Moroccan Women, which is the oldest women’s organization in Morocco. It aims at promoting equal rights for men and women at practical and legal levels. “We advocate change to laws that discriminate against women, and we protect women who speak out about violence.” |
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| Saida gives a talk about the situation of women living in Morocco to an audience in Rome, Italy. |
Violence comes in many forms, from physical harm to psychological abuse, says Saida. “A husband stopping his wife from leaving the house, deciding what she will wear, controlling her motherhood options, or kicking her out of the house is violence.” Domestic violence happens within family walls and is not visible, thus hard to monitor, she said.
Despite the patriarchal society of Morocco, changes in the law have technically improved the situation for women over the last two years, with the passing of a new law (Moudawana) concerning the personal status of women. The law includes reference to equal rights for men and women concerning the age of marriage and right to divorce. It also limits polygamy and reinforces the right of divorced women regarding guardianship of her children.
However, moral, social, political and financial limitations on women means that Morocco is still a patriarchal society, with traditions and culture still transcending the law. “Women don’t often speak out against violence due to social pressures that they shouldn't complain about being unhappy. This is a real problem for women in Morocco: they are ashamed, afraid and scared to speak out, especially about family problems. There is nothing in the law to protect women from domestic violence.” |
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| Saida speaks at a press conference in Casablanca, Morocco. |
One of the biggest problems for women in Morocco is economic, says Saida. “The majority of poor people in Morocco are women. We have laws that discriminate against women. For example men can access every type of job, but some jobs are not accessible to women. Men also hold the important jobs of empowerment and decision making, such as political responsibility,” she said. Education levels for women are lower for females than males, with many females being illiterate, and this must also change, she said. “Many women depend on their husbands economically and don’t have the financial ability to hire a lawyer or file a complaint if they are victims of violence.”
Saida believed her presence on Peace Boat, along with the other Gender Project guests, was beneficial to many passengers “I think they [Peace Boat participants] are now conscious that violence against women is universal. We are all different geographically, we have different backgrounds, cultures, but we suffer the same violence against women. We have to work together to stop all forms of violence against women in the world.”
Saida’s vision for the future of women in Morocco is straightforward. “I want women to have the same rights as men in everything, and in private and public spaces. We want to be treated like equal citizens.” |
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