The Children of Occupied Western Sahara live under constant terror

Vita Angula & Isabel Lourenco / 10 April 2021
Share this story

On the 16 November 2020, three days after the resumption of war between the Polisario Front and the illegal occupying forces of Morocco, 12 year old Hayat (surname withheld due to constant threats against her family) was abducted by Moroccan security forces.

Hayat’s “crime” was that she drew a picture of the Sahrawi flag on her school smock (uniform)!

Hayat’s story is similar to many other minors in Western Sahara who live under constant terror of Moroccan Commando groups and police who have escalated their level of brutality within the occupied territories since the breakdown of the cease fire and the resumption of war on the 13 November 2020.

Hayat was brutally assaulted by forces of the Moroccan regime, when teachers at the school she attended reported her for the perceived ‘transgression’.

She was subjected to inhumane treatment which included sexual assault, molestation of her private parts, the pulling of her hair, insults and physical assaults that included continuous kicks to her stomach and the pulling of her hair.

To ensure total subjugation, the security forces forced her to kneel and sing the national anthem of Morocco whilst kissing the image of Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco.

These occurrences which include arbitrary detentions have become increasingly prevalent since the end of the ceasefire!

However, due to the media blackout that Morocco has instituted within the occupied territories, the world has yet to get a full glimpse of the human atrocities currently being carried out by the Moroccan regime.

A regime that is propped up by European interests such as France and Spain who maintain economic ties and continue in the plunder of Western Sahara’s natural resources in violation of a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that trade deals between Morocco and the European Union (EU) do not extend to Western Sahara.

The deafening silence of the African Union (AU) is even more worrying because the Human Right’s Atrocities currently taking place with the occupied territories of Western Sahara fly in the face of the AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD.

According to Article 3 of the Charter, to which the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a signatory “every child shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized in this charter irrespective of the child’s or his/her parents’ or legal guardians’ race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status’.

Morocco is not a signatory to the African Charter but has nonetheless ratified the UN Convention for children’s rights which holds the same principles and values.

The children in the occupied territories do not enjoy these rights and Hayat’s rights were violated to the extent that she will have to live with this traumatic experience for the rest of her life.

Article 16 of the AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD speaks to Protection Against Child Abuse and Torture whereas Article 26 speaks against the Protection Against Apartheid and Discrimination.

All these transgressions of the AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD are violated by Morocco in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and the world can no longer remain silent.

AFRICA CAN NO LONGER REMAIN SILENT!

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the International Humanitarian Law are violated daily in the occupied territories”.

According to a report authored by Isabel Lourenço published in 2019 titled: ‘Saharawi Children and Students under occupation’ “Saharawi children are exposed to daily violence in direct and indirect forms. Abductions, torture, day and night raids, detentions of themselves or family members, friends and neighbors.

11 year old Kamal, from El Aaiun in occupied Western Sahara interviewed in the report said “We are never safe, not in school, not in the street and not even at home. They can come any moment and take you or beat you. In school they insult us, beat us, they want us to think we are stupid, useless, that Moroccan children are better. Some of the Moroccan children behave the same way as the adults; they are never punished when they are bad to us. I can’t sleep, I always have things in my head and in my heart; sometimes my heart beats so fast I can’t breathe”.

These are the lived realities of children in occupied Western Sahara!

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ant the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Humanitarian Law are violated daily in the occupied territories, where the absence of a UN protection mechanism, UNICEF or the International Red Cross leaves the Saharawi population and, in this case, the younger generations at the whims and mercy of the Moroccan settlers”, Lourenço.

Torture, humiliation, physical and psychological attacks and violent discipline are the life stories these children have to share.

As the world grapples with a global pandemic we ought to remind ourselves that on the Northern West of Africa a gross human right’s catastrophe is taking place.

The world and Africa cannot afford to remain silent anymore and a global pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to turn a blind eye at the human rights atrocities taking place in the desert territory of Western Sahara.

* Vitalio Angula is a socio-political commentator and independent columnist based in Namibia.
He is also the Founder and Editor of online Newsletter, Vitalio’s Newsletter

* Isabel Lourenco is a Human Right’s expert on Western Sahara and Author of the report: Saharawi Children and Students under occupation published in 2019 by CEAUP.

Last Posts

President Putin announces Easter ceasefire

President of Russia Vladimir Putin announces Easter ceasefire

Share this story

Share this storyDuring a meeting at the Kremlin with the Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov President Vladimir Putin declared that the Russian Side is ceasing all military action starting…

10 April 2021

On April 17, 2025, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio

Share this story

Share this storyOn April 17, 2025, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation. Secretary Rubio, who is currently in Paris, informed the Russian side…

10 April 2021

In the first installment of the Two Shores Dialogue series, two journalists — Ma Jiaying from China and Héribert Adjovi from Africa — exchange insights on the pressing issues of our time: rising trade protectionism, the shifting global order, and the long-term consequences of tariff wars. Reflecting on the legacy of the Bandung Conference, they advocate for renewed solidarity among the Global South, grounded in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. A powerful, thoughtful dialogue that bridges continents and visions.

Beyond the tariff crisis, it’s time to take a fair look at globalisation… 70 years after the Bandung Conference

Share this story

Share this story‘A LOOK FROM BOTH SIDES’ is first and foremost an interesting Dialogue between two Friends, two eminent Journalists and a crossed vision of two media professionals, one Chinese and the other African (Beninese)…

10 April 2021

South-Africas-Government-of-Natiomall-Unity-on-the-brink-of-collapse-Picture-credit-Malawi-24.

THERE’S A SENSE THAT SA’S GNU IS TEETERING ON THE EDGE COLLAPSE

Share this story

Share this storyBy ABBEY MAKOE By all accounts, South Africa’s conundrum that is the Government of National Unity (GNU) will likely fester into a debilitating wound before it gets healed anytime soon. The revelation of…

10 April 2021

The world has now become irreversibly multipolar, a reality America’s ruling elites are refusing to accept.Photo | Mandar Pardika

US-China trade war: Standing up to the playground bully

Share this story

Share this storyToday’s China is not yesterday’s Soviet Union. Nor is Trump’s America the sole superpower. Anyone trying to push back the clock of history will get hurt https://www.newindianexpress.com/author/sudheendra-kulkarni The global tariff ‘war’ unleashed by…

10 April 2021

Panelists speak during the "Critical Raw Materials in the Age of Competition" session held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, Turkiye on April 12, 2025.

Critical raw materials in age of competition discussed at Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Share this story

Share this storyPanel addresses geopolitical, economic, strategic importance of underground resources Sercan Irkin and Zehra Nur Celik  |13.04.2025 – Update : 13.04.2025 ANTALYA, Türkiye The “Critical Raw Materials in the Age of Competition” panel was…

10 April 2021

Related Stories