68 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 42 | 2024 attitudes surrounding DV will be vital to the success of such ambitions. The overarching statement by Gerntholtz was that Morocco has an obligation to enact legislation that combats VAW according to international human rights treaties, such as the UN CEDAW (Gerntholtz, 2016). Drawing on the UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women, Human Rights Watch outlines essential elements for legislation concerning DV in Morocco: definition of scope and application of DV crimes and prevention measures in the form of education, awareness raising, research, and the proper training of authorities. Additional elements include strict law enforcement and public prosecution responsibilities, which would manifest in the adoption of “pro-arrest” and “pro-prosecution” policies when there is probable cause that DV has taken place. Further improvements include protection of those most vulnerable and the justice system’s responsibility to proceed with trials in a fair and timely manner together with training judges and prosecutors properly. Lastly, it is imperative Morocco offer other services, such as prompt access to shelter, health services, and legal advice (Gerntholtz, 2016). Although Morocco did implement Law 103.13 in 2018, there remain significant gaps in the country’s legal framework concerning VAW, especially DV. To address these shortcomings, Morocco must consider criminalizing marital rape, strengthening support services for survivors, and implementing prevention programs. Such legislation should hold abusers accountable, allocate resources and relief to victims, and establish institutional mandates for organizations actively empowering victims and working to prevent GBV at its roots (United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner…, 2017). By doing so, Morocco not only can uphold human rights but also promote gender equality and create safer communities for all. As highlighted by Gerntholtz, the international community has outlined several ways in which Morocco can transform the status of VAW; however, it is up to Moroccan lawmakers to make use of such recommendations to create a safer environment for Moroccan women. While global recommendations like No. 19 and No. 35 highlight necessary improvements to the legal frameworks addressing VAW, alternative approaches, such as comprehensive sexual education (CSE) for young Moroccans, offer promising complementary avenues for change. Evidence from other regions demonstrates the effectiveness of CSE programs in reducing instances of GBV. For instance, youth-led initiatives, called Y-PEER, targeting youth in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, are ensuring CSE for all, and these initiatives seem to be flourishing (Rollston et al., 2020). In 2006, Dr. Aleksandar Bodiroza, who managed the Y-PEER program for the UN Population Fund, estimated that roughly two million young people each year are positively impacted by the program. Bodiroza attributes the success of Y-PEER to its ability to take “activities and techniques that have been developed at the community level and bring them up to scale, using both the Internet and linkages with the mass media” (United Nations Population Fund, 2006). Similarly, countries in the Middle East and North Africa region are also seeing success in implementing CSE programs. Tunisia, for example, is the only country in the region to enforce CSE in schools. Similarly, Egypt’s Love Matters program provides substantive information about relationships, sex, and love (Rollston et al., 2020). In stark contrast, Moroccan schools adhere to an abstinence-only approach to sexual education, which aligns with the principles of Islam, the predominant religion in the country (Benharrousse, 2020). However, this approach fails to provide meaningful insights into human sexuality, intimacy, and love. Its sole focus is on teaching young people to not engage in sex until marriage, an unrealistic expectation for many. Furthermore, research indicates that abstinence-centric education perpetuates feelings of shame and fear, common among victims of violence, and poses risks to students' psychological, emotional, and physical health (Lanctot, 2022). Moroccan students themselves express a strong desire for sexual education programs in schools, with 61.1% supporting their incorporation into high school curricula (Arbaoui, 2016). Internationally, sexual education is recognized as a fundamental right, established in conventions dating back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and CEDAW in 1979 (Anti-Discrimination Centre, 2019). This recognition highlights the importance of introducing CSE in secondary schools, aligning with the broader notion of education as a human right and acknowledging the critical role of education in promoting health and well-being. In addition to school-based programs, there is a need for publicly funded extracurricular initiatives, such as community-based sexuality education classes targeting girls and young women. These programs, although reaching fewer individuals, are often more effective in reaching the most vulnerable populations, including girls who may not attend school (United Nations Population Fund, 2014). By empowering young people with knowledge and skills, such initiatives aim to reduce vulnerabilities to GBV and equip
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