Geneva, 14 September 2024 (SPS) - Sahrawi activist Yaqouta Mekhtar Moulai confirmed that Sahrawi women are subjected to torture, arbitrary detention, sexual harassment, and systematic smear campaigns as part of a broader policy aimed at eradicating their resistance and affecting their leadership role in guiding the Sahrawi people's struggle under Moroccan occupation.
This statement was made during her participation in a conference on the sidelines of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva, titled "Women's Rights in the Context of Occupation," where she addressed the grave human rights violations faced by Sahrawi women under Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara.
In front of a large audience concerned with issues of occupation and the struggle of women under it, activist Yaqouta Mekhtar Moulai highlighted the "historical context of Sahrawi women's struggle," noting that Sahrawi women have been "pioneers in the fight for self-determination since the onset of occupation in 1975." She emphasized that they continue to fight with determination and resilience despite facing enormous personal risks daily due to the repressive policies of the Moroccan occupation, a reality continuously documented by international human rights organizations.
At the end of her speech, the Sahrawi activist urged the international community to abandon its current passivity and take urgent and tangible actions, including the establishment of a body to monitor human rights in Western Sahara to combat the violence faced by the Sahrawi people, particularly Sahrawi women. She stressed the urgent need to "impose a fair solution that respects the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence."
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