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Moroccan teacher charged after complaining of sexual abuse

A MOROCCAN teacher and 19 of her supporters were charged with “outrage” against security forces, her lawyer said on Saturday, after she accused officials of sexually assaulting her during a protest.

Nezha Majdi was arrested along with the other teachers on Tuesday during a demonstration in the capital Rabat.

She first complained in an interview with an online news channel in mid-March that she had been the subjected to “sexual touching” and was harassed by Moroccan security services during a previous protest over pay and conditions.

Police have led a brutal crackdown on teachers who have demanded an end to temporary contracts and for graduates to be employed as public-sector workers.

Ms Majdi said the protesters were “treated like dogs” as she said they were prepared to face bullets and even death, but not sexual harassment. 

The video footage went viral as she tearfully stated that “harming our dignity … is a red line.”

Lawyer Souad Brahma said that the 20 teachers were charged on Thursday with “outrage against public order personnel” and other offences, including “violating the health state of emergency.”

Ms Majdi has been charged with the additional offence of “outraging a public institution,” Ms Brahma said.

The lawyer said her client had “dared to deplore sexual violence, and instead of being protected, she finds herself hit with allegations that have no foundation.”

Outraging a public institution carries a sentence of between one month and one year in prison, while the offence of outrage against security forces carries between three months and two years of jail time, according to Morocco’s  penal code.

The trial will begin on May 20 in Rabat, Ms Brahma said.

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