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A video of an Emirati citizen visiting Morocco has sparked widespread outrage on social media after it included remarks many viewed as promoting the marriage and exploitation of underage girls under the guise of marriage. The controversy prompted the organization Touche Pas à Mon Enfant to call on the Public Prosecutor’s Office to open an urgent judicial investigation.
In the video, filmed inside a car, the man is heard saying: “Anyone among you who is getting on in years should come. In Morocco, I’ll get him a 14-year-old girl. By God, he won’t suffer a stroke, high blood pressure, or diabetes.” The remarks drew widespread condemnation online, with many accusing him of insulting Morocco and Moroccan women.
As the controversy grew, the man appeared in a second video attempting to justify his comments, claiming they were the result of “a misunderstanding and cultural differences.” He said he had not intended to refer to underage girls, explaining that the term “14” was, according to him, “a comparison to the full moon, which reaches its fullness on the fourteenth night.”
He added that he was surprised, after returning from Morocco, by the backlash surrounding the video, which he said had originally been intended for a private group of friends before being leaked and widely circulated.
Calls for an immediate judicial investigation
The man said that “social media users focused only on the phrase ‘14’ and did not pay attention to the fact that I was speaking about Morocco as a beautiful country with kind people.” He added: “In the UAE, we may sometimes use it to refer to a beautiful girl who is of legal age to marry. Even if she were a minor, the judge would not allow the marriage, because every country has its own laws.”
Continuing his explanation, he insisted that his intention had been to praise Morocco and stressed that he would never accept any offense against the country or its people. “What I do not accept for my own family and daughters, I do not accept for other people’s daughters,” he said, before apologizing “if his words were understood in the wrong way.”
For its part, Touche Pas à Mon Enfant said it was following the circulation of the videos with deep concern, arguing that they contain “suspicions of the sexual exploitation of underage girls under the cover of marriage by foreigners.”
“Protecting children is a collective responsibility. I call on all families and citizens to report any suspicious content that may threaten children’s safety,” said Najat Anwar, president of the NGO.
Anwar told Yabiladi that the association had urgently written to the King’s Prosecutor General at the Presidency of the Public Prosecution in Rabat, requesting the immediate opening of a judicial investigation and the punishment of those involved. Yabiladi has seen a copy of the letter.
The organization reiterated that protecting children is not solely the responsibility of institutions, but a shared societal duty, warning that any leniency toward such acts poses a direct threat to children’s rights and future.
