Aicha Chenna, the iconic women’s rights advocate who was part of the first generation of Moroccan women who raised the banner of the struggle for equality and the promotion of women’s rights in Morocco passed away on Saturday at the age of 81 and was laid to rest on Sunday.
Aicha Chenna, born August 14, 1941 in Casablanca. After leaving Casablanca, she moved to Marrakech and returned to Casablanca in 1952. She was left without a father and studied nursing before becoming a moderator for health and social education in the Ministry of Health. She was exposed to vulnerable women and issues that were taboos on religious and social grounds. She is leaving behind a valuable legacy in matters of women’s rights as she was one of the most prominent defenders of these rights and as she tirelessly struggled and took initiatives that sought to empower women, especially single mothers.
It was a difficult task. Moroccan society is hostile to single mothers and those whose children are not married are also ostracized. Aicha Chenna fought through all of the challenges and was able to face all criticism with sheer determination.
In 1985, she founded the Association Solidarité féminine (ASF) for the defense of women’s rights and abandoned children. It was the first association to offer financial and literacy training to single mothers and victims who had been raped, often rejected by their families.
She saw the advocacy for single mothers as a life-long battle to give these women the rights that they didn’t have. She also fought for the rights of illegitimate or abandoned children and for incest victims.
Aicha Chenna’s activism, recognized at the national and international level, has been supported by King Mohammed VI. She once said: “The King has shown me his blessing and has given me the key to the success of my mission. His encouragement, his high concern and his magnanimous gestures strengthen my conviction and give me every day the strength and courage to continue.”
In 2009, she was awarded the $1 million Opus Prize for her remarkable activism. She stated that it would be used by her foundation to continue its work even after she dies.
“Today, Morocco has lost a symbol of the feminist human rights struggle…Aicha Chenna was the mother of all, and her achievements in the human rights field will remain a source of pride for all Moroccans,” commented university professor and researcher in sociology, Somaya Noaman guessous.
Aicha Chenna or the Mother-Courage, made great sacrifices for single mothers in order to preserve their dignity and render justice for children born to wedlock. She will be remembered as an icon for feminist activism in Morocco and elsewhere.
Source: north africa post
