About time: Morocco will no longer release rapists who marry victims

The world breathed a sigh of relief when the Moroccan government said it will change a law that allowed a rapist to evade punishment if he married his victim. The law, designed to protect the “family honor” of young women who had been “corrupted,” was questioned after 16-year-old Amina al-Filali, whose parents are pictured above, committed suicide last year after she was forced to marry the man she said raped her.

While this is a huge step forward for Morrocan women, Fouzia Assouli, president of the Democratic League for Women’s Rights, argues that there is still a long way to go. Morocco still does not recognize rape within marriage and continues to prosecute adults for engaging in sex outside of wedlock. Maybe we shouldn’t feel that relief just yet. [Source]