Following reports of a social media campaign encouraging Moroccan men to marry young girls to ‘save’ them in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that took place on September 8th 2023, we at FiD researched whether evidence of trafficking could be found. We did find evidence of such a social media campaign, both through online posts as well as evidence of a 20-year-old man who got arrested by police under charges of promoting child abuse and preying on girls online. Additionally, we found evidence for the Moroccan government knowing about this threat, as it implemented a ‘green number’, a hotline to call to report any suspicious action regarding child endangerment or human trafficking following the earthquake. However, no evidence could be found confirming or denying that any de facto trafficking took place. Nonetheless, this case once again underlines that pre-existing vulnerabilities and risks of child trafficking, including forced child marriage, are likely to be exacerbated in post-disaster contexts.
Risks of child trafficking and forced child marriage in aftermath of earthquake: Morocco 2023