A primary criminal court has sentenced a factory machine operator, known as “H.A.,” to five years in prison for human trafficking and the exploitation of minors under the age of 18. Born in 1989, H.A. was arrested following allegations from underage girls who claimed they were coerced into labor and sexually exploited after the factory ceased to pay them.
The serious allegations prompted the organization “Metqish Waladi” to intervene, highlighting the illegal and inhumane conditions under which the minors were employed, constituting a blatant violation of Moroccan labor laws and a flagrant infringement on children’s rights. The organization reported that the minors were paid no more than 4 dirhams per hour, having been misled about receiving 22 dirhams, which represents an egregious economic exploitation of vulnerable girls.
Additionally, the organization pointed to testimonies of sexual harassment faced by the girls in the workplace, exacerbating the situation and revealing an unsafe and hazardous work environment.
In this case, H.A. was the sole defendant, accused by several girls of harassment and attempting to establish romantic relationships with them, supported by WhatsApp messages, while factory officials were absent.
H.A. denied all accusations, asserting he is merely a worker and not responsible for employing minors. He implicated a colleague at the factory as the individual behind the instigation and conspiracy against him. H.A. maintained that his responsibilities were limited to operating machines and that the company and its management should be held accountable for employing underage individuals.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of 200,000 dirhams on H.A.
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