Mauritanian women rally against rape Hundreds of Mauritanian women staged a protest outside the ministry of the interior in the capital Nouakchott on Wednesday, demanding an end to violence against women. Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for adequate security for women against violence and sexual abuse. They also demanded just sentencing for perpetrators. Mauritania has recently experienced a wave of increased harassment of women, triggering feminist organisations to rally for change.
Ayesha Bint AbuBakr, who attended the protest after fearing for her sisters and daughters safety, said there has been a palpable feeling of imminent danger that surrounds women in the country.
She said: “Yesterday my neighbour was violated by male teenagers. They harassed her at first, then forced her into a stolen car and gang-raped her.” AbuBakr added that a woman being raped has become so easy and frequent because here are no consequences for the crime.  She said “The guilty men and boys stroll around freely without fear.” AbuBakr fears that she may be next.
Mauritanian women have recently begun to speak up about violence against women in an effort to break the wall of silence that surrounds such issues in the country. The campaigners also seek to encourage victims to demand their rights and be integrated in society.
The issue has been at the forefront of Mauritanian society since a breakout of mass rapes in and around the capital city. Most notably was the brutal rape and murdering of a 20-year-old women kidnapped in a taxi by two men in April. The police have detained the perpetrators, who are awaiting sentencing.