Protesters staged sit-ins in different Algerian towns to mourn the rape and abhorrent murder of a 19 year-old girl in the country where the feminist movement is struggling against a patriarchal society to assert their rights. The charred body of Chaïma was found in a deserted petrol station in Thenia, 80 km (50 miles) east of the capital Algiers, this month. Chaïma’s mother said the suspect had attempted to rape her daughter in 2016, when she was 15, but the case was dropped. Later, the suspect was jailed for Chaima’s harassment and held for three years, according to Algerian media. They recorded 60 in 2019, but believe the actual number is far higher as many such killings go unreported.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 09, 2020 00:45 UTC