In February 2006, "Khadija" (a pseudonym) was returning home from school. However, she was late, prompting her mother to search for her. A woman entered their home claiming to have found Khadija and rescued her "from the grip of a young man attempting to assault her physically." Even nearly twenty years after the incident, the pain still weighs heavily on the mother's heart, and she struggles to find justice for her daughter.
On that fateful day, the mother discovered her daughter unconscious and took her, along with the woman, to the hospital. When Khadija regained consciousness in the hospital, she began screaming that she had been assaulted by the very woman who had taken her. She recounted how the woman had lured her from the school gate with promises of buying art supplies, only to take her to a store where she was beaten and threatened with death if she continued to scream. The woman then kidnapped and held her captive in an abandoned house, where she was sexually assaulted with a stick, as reported by the grieving mother, who provided the necessary medical certificates to support her claims.
The mother explained that since 2006, she has been fighting for her daughter’s rights and seeking justice by demanding the arrest of the suspect. After 18 years, Khadija remains in a state of psychological distress; her academic performance has plummeted, and she has threatened to commit suicide by jumping off the school roof. The mother decided to change schools for her daughter, but the results were disappointing, with her academic level remaining low. Khadija continues to rely on medication in hopes of alleviating the trauma from the horrific incident. Additionally, she made the decision to leave her city to forget what had happened.
Despite the passage of years, the case is still with the judiciary, and the mother hopes for justice in an upcoming appeals court session next month. She reported that she filed complaints with the public prosecutor's office as well as children's rights organizations; during this time, she faced threats from the suspect, sometimes including offers of bribes to drop her complaints.
Today, Khadija, now 30 years old, suffers from significant psychological consequences of the traumatic event. She struggled academically and has been unable to find work, facing considerable difficulties in integrating into society, leading her to a constant state of retreat into isolation in remote areas. The accused, currently at liberty, faces charges of violently assaulting a minor, kidnapping, detention, as well as assault and threats, according to the report obtained by "Al Arabiya.net."
Dr. Boucheba Mohamed Tayeb, the national coordinator of the organization "Don't Touch My Son," commented that "pedophilia, or child attraction in a derogatory sense, is the desire to engage in sexual experiences with children, whether they are biological children of the offender or not, regardless of the offender's gender. This serious disease cannot be cured; it is a wound inflicted on childhood." He added that “pedophilia is a disease without cure and exists among both males and females, though it remains a silent issue for women due to the fear of scandal and the accompanying stigma that victims must bear for life.”
He continued, saying that many cases were reported to “Don’t Touch My Son,” yet often, parents of victims retract their intentions to pursue these cases and only file complaints with the organization, requesting confidentiality due to fear of exposure. An informed source reported that there are multiple cases of women prosecuted for committing violence against both female and male children as a form of sexual torture and abuse.
One particularly shocking case involved a father who accused his ex-wife of sexually abusing their five-year-old son. He reported observing abnormal sexual behaviors in his child during visitation times, which raised concerns that his son was being molested. After consulting a psychologist, he learned that his son was mimicking behaviors he witnessed, and upon questioning the child, they learned these actions were taught by the mother during their interactions.
Moreover, another victim shared their story with "Al Arabiya.net," recounting a young Moroccan man in his forties who faced sexual harassment from a female relative during his childhood and early adolescence during a summer visit. Initially, he thought it was all just playful teasing until he realized the reality of the situations. He bitterly recalls that his relative would regularly commit these acts whenever she visited, and he felt unable to tell his parents due to the fear of bringing shame.
Najate Anouar, president of the organization "Don’t Touch My Son," acknowledged the lack of sufficient data regarding women committing sexual assault against children, emphasizing that "this type of crime falls into the category of silent crimes that emerged through the Spanish pedophile case of Ramos, who recruited offenders, including women from various countries, to exploit child victims to satisfy their sick fantasies." She stated that legally, these cases are handled meticulously once solid evidence is available.
