Rabat - The Forum Azzahrae for Moroccan Woman said female journalists who wear the hijab are virtually banned from appearing on visual media.
The forum, which is affiliated with the Justice and Development Party and includes over 100 organizations dedicated to addressing women’s issues, noted that Moroccan laws forbid gender-based discrimination in all of its forms.
Despite the law, women who choose to wear the hijab are discriminated against in the public and private sectors of the media, according to the report.
Aziza Al-Biqali, the president of the forum, said in a press conference on Monday that the report her organization sent to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights at the United Nations tells the international governmental organization to ask the Moroccan government about the absence of hijabi women from Moroccan media.
The forum, which hold an advisory position at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, asked Morocco to prevent gender-based discrimination and to strengthen the punishments for organizations that use discriminatory practices against women based on the clothes they choose to wear.
The forum’s report, published in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, also noted that the maximum punishment for domestic abuse cases in Morocco “needs to be increased” in order to combat the rising rates of physical violence occurring between husbands and wives.
Despite efforts by feminist activist organizations to encourage media to portray a positive image of women, women continue to suffer from the effects of negative media stereotypes that make it difficult for society to move forward, the report added.
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