A summer camp attendant physically and sexually abused a 13-year-old Moroccan boy with special needs, prompting his mother to speak up on social media.
In a video that captures her sitting alongside her son, the distressed mother recalls what happened and calls upon authorities to take immediate action.
According to the mother, her son was taking part in a week-long summer camp at Morocco's Mohammed VI National Center for People with Special Needs in late July.
After his first night there, he tried to run away and returned home screaming. When she asked about the reason behind his distress, his mother found out he "was subjected to rape and violence" by a supervisor.
After doctors confirmed the boy was sexually violated, his mother confronted the people in charge of the center, but the latter refused to comment on the matter, according to media reports.
"He (my son) has undergone two heart surgeries, but this criminal showed him no mercy," she says in the video.
In response, the International Association for Rights and Freedoms in Morocco has issued a statement condemning the crime and demanding that authorities punish the perpetrator.
The association also asked authorities to take the necessary measures to protect children and those with special needs in particular.
According to media statements, police put together a report on the incident but have not officially launched their investigation.
"I don't want my son to lose his right [to justice]. The fire inside me will not cool down until the criminal gets his punishment," says the mother.
Not the first incident of its kind in the country
Morocco has witnessed an alarming number of cases relating to sexual assault against minors and people with special needs.
In May, an imam was charged with raping young girls at a mosque in Marrakesh for several years.
Additionally, in a crime that made international headlines last year, a group of teenage boys sexually assaulted a woman with an intellectual disability on a public bus.
Similarly, back in 2016, a 16-year-old Moroccan teenager committed suicide after being abducted and gang-raped by eight men. An autopsy of her body revealed that she was pregnant at the time.