In the framework of the South Programme IV, the Council of Europe and the Presidency of the Public Prosecution of Morocco organised From October 6^th to 7^th  2021 in Fes, the last training session aiming at strengthening the role of public prosecutors in combatting violence against women and domestic violence. This training is a follow up of several similar events held in December 2019 in Marrakech and Agadir and in March and June 2021 in Rabat, Tangier and El Jadida. At the end of this cycle around 370 magistrates were able to deepen their approach to the challenges related to this issue at the judicial chain level, as well as their knowledge of national and international standards and the best practices in this field.

The working sessions drew upon applicable national and international standards, such as the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) and other relevant international conventions involving leading experts from Morocco and the Council of Europe.

The participants were able to discuss the various  aspects related to prevention, especially in the context of Covid 19 pandameic, and the protection of minor girls including in the digital environment. An additional session was also dedicated to the presentation of the Territorial Protocol for the care of women victims of violence.

Note that in its 2019 annual report published in early 2021, the Presidency of the Public Prosecution revealed that violence against women increased by 11% between 2018 and 2019 reaching 19,617 abused women, leading to more than 19,000 cases and the prosecution of 20,355 people. 

Currently in Morocco, as in other countries of the world, the health crisis has led to an increase of violence against women and domestic violence cases due to isolation, the increase of domestic loads, the loss of means of livelihood, limited social contact as well as limited access to victim support services. To deal with this situation, the President of the Public Prosecution addressed to prosecutors a circular containing new instructions to combat this issue.

Cyberviolence acts also increased during the lockdown. According to a survey conducted by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), nearly 1.5 million women in Morocco (prevalence rate of 14%) are victims of digital violence through e-mails, phone calls and SMS.

These training sessions aim to contribute to the effective implementation of Law 103-13 on the fight against violence towards women, of Law 13-2012 identifying the conditions of domestic labour and to fight against child marriage in respect to international standards in this matter.

The South Programme IV is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union, financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.