Morocco: Digital sexual blackmail, a new weapon in the event of divorce

Former partners often use sexual content, including images and videos, to obtain financial settlements or custody rights from women in Morocco, according to a study by a Dutch NGO.

According to a recent report by Dutch NGO Rutgers International, violence against women is increasingly taking place online. Focusing on seven countries, the NGO’s study examines the effects of the pervasive influence of patriarchy and deeply entrenched gender roles in the digital world. Gender-based violence, which includes online harassment, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and cyberbullying, is increasingly being used as a weapon against women in Morocco, the report notes, adding that artificial intelligence is further complicating matters by facilitating the creation of deepfakes and perpetuating harmful stereotypes through algorithmic bias.