President of an NGO
Mother of
three children, Najia El Boukari, known as Najat Anwar, founded the “Touche pas
à mon enfant “ (“Hands off my kid”) NGO in July 2004. A year earlier, a
pedophilia case broke out in Rabat: “I was deeply affected, stunned. I did not believe that such crimes could exist
in Morocco. She then
decided to help the parents of the children and faced many obstacles and
resistance, "as if we were the culprits and not the pedophiles". In response, she created her association with other
parents. The
challenges were daunting: daring to communicate on this taboo and raise
awareness, changing laws, getting in-camera sessions in the courts to listen to
children ... Twelve years later, the work of “Touche pas à mon enfant”, that
became in the meantime, an organization recognized as serving the public good, bore
its fruits. Today, court
sentences can reach thirty years in prison for child abuse related crimes. There is also awareness within civil society:
"The press is now very engaged in this kind of cases, which facilitates
the awareness of Moroccans and foreigners," said this woman who
participates in all fights.