Hundreds of Moroccans –women as well as many men, of all ages, from children to teenagers to the elderly, and all walks of life and regions of Morocco -took to the streets of Rabat on Saturday 8th December 2012. From two to six in the afternoon, they made a human chain to denounce violence against women, first assembling in a loop in front of the Parliament building and then moving towards the Ministry of Justice a few hundred metres away.

One part of the loop along the gates of the Parliament building was entirely made of survivors of violence and the families of some 350 surviving victims as well as the families of some of those who died. Life-size statues shrouded in white bandages and bearing the faces of some of the women who have died were placed in front as stark, poignant accusationsstatements.

The other part of the loop facing them and Parliament was made of members of the 22- strong NGO Coalition, Springtime for Dignity, as well as other human rights groups, intellectuals, artists, athletes, and personalities from the world of politics and culture.

The event was organized with the support of UN Women MCO Maghreb to mark the 16 Days of activism following the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), and is also a concrete contribution to the United Nations’ worldwide campaign, UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which the United Nations Secretary General launched in 2008 to coordinate international efforts to address this phenomenon.

Throughout the afternoon, their voices, chants, poems, slogans, testimonies filled the air. There was powerful, moving street theatre depicting violence. The banners inscribed the messages and the posters, the personal testimonies against domestic abuse and other forms of violence and discriminations against women and girls.

Some women survivors were wearingwore masks and holding held placards that read "Dignity, Freedom, Equality: All together for equality!" and "No impunity for rape!". Protesters chanted slogans such as "Here is the Constitution, but where are the laws?"

The protest march was organized by the Springtime for Dignity who called for a legislation penalising perpetrators and protecting women from violence and discriminations.

“Morocco’s laws should be adapted to the international conventions ratified by Morocco, particularly those dealing with women’s rights,” one organizer said.

The event was organized with the support of UN Women MCO Maghreb to mark the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November), and is also a concrete contribution to the United Nations’ global campaign, UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which the United Nations Secretary General launched in 2008 to coordinate international efforts to address this phenomenon.