6 teens arrested after Morocco bus sex attack sparks outrage

6 teens arrested after Morocco bus sex attack sparks outrage

RABAT - Six teenage suspects were arrested in Morocco on Monday after video footage of young men reportedly sexually molesting a woman on a bus caused widespread outrage on social networks.

A Moroccan police statement reported the arrests of the six aged between 15 and 17 after the incident in the kingdom's economic capital Casablanca.

In the footage posted on Sunday, six bare-chested teenagers are seen assaulting a weeping young woman and laughing as they touch her private parts.

The half-stripped victim is seen crying out in distress as no passenger intervenes to help her and the bus fails to come to a halt.

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Public transport company M'Dina Bus said the incident happened on Friday.

The police statement said the 24-year-old woman suffers from a mental handicap, and that no complaint was filed by either the victim or the driver before the video was released.

The latest incident comes less than two weeks after footage of men hounding a young woman walking alone in the northern city of Tangier was shared widely on social media, sparking a heated debate in the North African country.

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Media headlines about Friday's assault included "Horror in Casablanca" and "Monsters commit an odious crime" as reports focused on the phenomenon of women being harassed in public places.

There were calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and for a Casablanca sit-in on Wednesday.

Official figures show that nearly two-thirds of Moroccan woman have suffered violent attacks, often in public places.

 

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