In yet another alarming sexual assault case in Morocco, a man attempted to rape a female teenager in broad daylight, while his accomplice shot a video documenting the crime.
The spine-chilling video has been widely circulated online, sparking outrage in the Moroccan community.
The incident comes months after a gang rape case in Morocco drew global attention and stirred national protests demanding action against rape culture.
"Don't you have a sister," the victim screamed at the top of her lungs
The horrific video captures the perpetrator pinning his underage victim to the ground in a public street in an unknown area, while the latter screamed at the top of her lungs begging him to stop. The video is available online but StepFeed chose not to share it due to the publication's ethical guidelines.
Despite the victim's efforts to push him away, he proceeded to pull her pants down and touch her inappropriately.
"Don't you have a sister? Would you want someone to do this to her?" the victim is heard yelling. The aggressors appeared to laugh in response.
Towards the end of the video, the victim can be heard pleading with the perpetrator "to stop in order to at least reach a compromise," according to Al Arabiya.
This took place all the while the assaulter's friend not only observed the assault in silence, but also documented it in video.
According to News24, Moroccan police announced they have launched an investigation into the incident.
Social media uproar
The incident has stirred an uproar in the Moroccan community, with many social media users reacting to the incident under the hashtag واش_ماعندكش_ختك# (Don't you have a sister?)
Disgusting is an understatement
Moroccans are simply fed up
Yet another proof of a deep-rooted problem
Women are demanding an end to rape culture
"It's not just the law that oppresses a woman. Society still blames her for being raped and justifies the rapist's crime with flimsy reasons like: 'She wasn't dressed modestly, she provoked him, she was walking around on her own.'"
People are holding authorities accountable
"We live in a jungle"
"Teach your daughters Kung fu and wrestling because we live in a jungle."
"Animals"
Not the first incident of its kind
In 2016, a 16-year-old Moroccan teenager committed suicide after being abducted and gang-raped by eight men. The victim, whose autopsy revealed she was pregnant at the time, set herself on fire after perpetrators threatened to publish pictures of the rape.
Last August, four teenagers raped a 26-year-old woman in a public bus and bystanders did not intervene to help, sending shock-waves across the world. The incident was also documented in a widely-shared video.
Following the incident, activists took to the streets across Morocco to demand that women be protected from sexual violence, especially in public spaces.
In response, this February, Morocco's parliament adopted a law to tackle violence against women by criminalizing "acts considered forms of harassment, aggression, sexual exploitation or ill treatment" of women in the country.