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Spelman College

Publication Date

Fall 2014

Program Name

Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to report on the situation of exploited and trafficked Sub-Saharan migrant women in Morocco. With the lack of legal framework to recognize or combat human trafficking my research focuses on the broader context of trafficking as a means to exploit mostly women in regards to sexual assault. Since the crime is not explicitly defined within Moroccan penal code there are no specific organizations dealing with survivors of trafficking but there are a few that indirectly address women migrants. The irregular situation of migrants in Morocco makes their involvement with being trafficked more complicated than the simple buying of a person in exchange for services whether it be sexual or labor related. In the situation of some migrants in Morocco from south of the Sahara sexual exploitation is forced upon the women for pleasure in some cases and in others used as payment for crossing certain barriers during the migration journey. Data was collected from international organizations, local organizations and actual Sub-Saharan migrants here in Morocco. In addition research was collected from reports on the situation of migrant women and the likelihood that they would be victims of SGBV. As Morocco is now a country receiving a higher number of migrants than before it now must address some of the health and legal issues that migrants are facing within the country’s borders. Although trafficking is not mentioned in the law, there are other crimes within the penal code that can be used to prosecute traffickers. In the case of migrants this may be more difficult because of the irregular situation of the women and sometimes the lack of the government to recognize their human rights. With added international pressure the government of Morocco is drafting an action plan to combat the trafficking of women and with the new policy will come grassroots organizations to aid migrant women who are victims. As of now since this issue is newly recognized by Morocco there is limited on the ground work being done to aid migrant women who have been exploited and/or trafficked. The analysis outlined in this paper will go into detail about the help already offered in Morocco, the political atmosphere behind the movement to combat the exploitation of women, the challenges Morocco will face and possible long-term solutions to ending sexual exploitation.

Disciplines

African Studies | Family, Life Course, and Society | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Human Geography | Inequality and Stratification | Political Science | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance | Women's Studies

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