Newspaper article 3, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina

WOMEN AND SMUGGLING FOR SUSTENANCE FROM COMMERCIALIZATION OF GOODS TO THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE BODY

By Malika Al fakak
Investigation 10/12/1998

On the pavements of our streets, the economic crisis emerges and declares itself through the engagement of young and old women in a masked unemployment activity to protect themselves from the disgrace of need and the humiliation of poverty.

Many women sit besides few “goods” when they choose the commerce of danger and humiliation, also when they bring some goods from Moroccan northern regions (Ksar Lekbir, Fnideq) or from occupied cities (Ceuta and Mlilla) to resell them in various Moroccan regions seeking profit. This commerce is called smuggling because its traders do not pay taxes on their profits.

Those who opt for the commerce of the north “the North of Morocco” venture with their capital and expose themselves to humiliation, beating and even jail. Whereas some others do sufficiently well with the goods brought from Casablanca.

What happens to women whose children are deprived of life in the absence of solutions for them? They have no other alternative apart from the market of the free exploitation.

Let us listen to the moaning of some women who sustain their living by smuggling and have adopted the discourse of complaining and grumbling.

Smuggling: The journey of fear and the path of humiliation

The last previous ''drive to clean up'' had economic and social effects on hard working female smugglers… Even though this is the case, the North is still their destination; and this despite the fear that overwhelms them and their prudence.

These women are affected by the crisis, therefore, Fatima (22 Years, with one daughter) narrates bitterly the story of one whose livelihood is threatened '' the restraints on us in this commerce leads to the eviction of many families… the fact that leads many divorced and widowed women to prostitution. But what shall married women do? Do they have to steal? Or work as maids for free and be exposed to servitude???

No one argues about the dangers of this career, but the spectre of their children deprived of food, ignoring its quality, but that can fill their empty stomach, urges their mothers to put forth themselves and their capital into smuggling…Khadija (28 years) said “Thought of the hurdles, ... I still bring merchandise from the north… no one can leave her offspring dying from hunger… and no one can agree to evict her children from rented rooms whose landlords are threatening to kick them out in case they delayed payment of rent.” “For such reasons I don't think of what might happen to me, I close my eyes and face my fate”. Women venture forth and traverse the journey of fear loaded with little merchandise that will keep them from the path of selling their body at different places.

Tahra argues that: ''in spite of all the dangers I take the chance and go forth just to secure a little bread and nothing else…why do they chase us and what they want from us?? Do we have to go and beg on the streets?? She finishes speaking of the depth of the smuggling in the lives of people and its obvious role in sustaining many poor families, ''Many shops in the popular streets live on selling the goods from the north. We bring it and we resell it to them or we sell it in the streets on the pavements and many other shops in the northern region live on this commerce, in addition to the lorries and cars owners who benefit from transporting the merchandise between Rabat, Casablanca and the northern regions.” 

Do they have the right to starve our children?

There is a proverb that says “when elephants struggle aunts get scratched” This means that there are organized smuggling gangsters who are very rich and work the system of their activities in secret networks. They use as means planes, boats, and even private ports and foreign currency. However, the oppression of the last drive to clean up smuggling affected only the poor who bring in merchandise not worth more than 1000dhs from Moroccan cities. These women understand the difference very well. Tamo commented with a broken voice '' they have to pursue big dealers who import merchandise by boats. But me, I trade with 700dhs. Each month I gain little to bring up my children, pay my rent, and yet sometimes they confiscate my merchandise. On our return journeys when the police and the custom officers get into the train and confiscate all the goods we are carrying (garments, kitchen utensils, underwear, and perfumes) we come back with tears in our eyes. Do they have the right to starve our children?

When the doors to the North are closed the doors of prostitution are opened

The last drive affected the petty small-time female smugglers of the North. Zineb, a young divorced woman, has three children. The doors of the northern market are shut on her face. Instead the market of prostitution is opened up as an inescapable alternative into which she has thrown herself in silence to respond to her childrens’ hungry calls for food thrice a day.

In her house which is a rented room in the roof of an apartment she talks about the difficulties of the career in northern merchandise. ''This commerce is a humiliating job. When the customs officer finds the merchandise with us they slap us hard and they sometimes curse us. We sometimes succeed to hide the goods amongst passengers until the inspection is over, but other times our capital and profits are lost to police and customs officers (as bribe) and I get to Rabat empty handed.

She speaks in a confessional tone, after all doors have closed for her. She talks about the alternative she has chosen with her eyes averted in shame …''I still sell some merchandise (soap, perfume…) on the pavements amongst other sellers, but for another reason I conceal. I await clients of the night in this manner instead of standing on the street because that is a give-away. That is why I display a little merchandise at my usual place but I don't sell it; I sell my ''flesh'' instead. And I'm not the only one, there are many other youngsters who are trading in the merchandise of the north but when they put us out of work we changed from subjugated women to women who sell their body…

In this way, the pathways of the north became rough roads full of dangers at every turning… Women who smuggle against their will for a living pray for all help to overcome this moment of crisis.

Translated by Abdelmounaim Ouyidir