Recently, the Spanish NGO Ningun Nino Sin Techo (No Child Without a Roof) in Morocco had to close down over revelations of sexual abuse of the minors there. The NGO’s center, whose mission was to improve the care of street children, was dismantled by the Moroccan authorities over the scandal.
Allegations have come out against two associates of the NGO who are now being sued by a victim whose name is being withheld. The first defendant is Felix Ramos, a Spanish television presenter who has been in trouble with the law before for selling falsified titles, distinctions, and diplomas. He was arrested on June 18th over child abuse and human trafficking. Ramos worked with Ningun Nino Sin Techo for 11 years, helping facilitate the galas that hosted celebrities for fundraising purposes and often bringing his own peers along with him. The victim, who is now 19 years old, reportedly met Ramos when he was only 14. He says Ramos approached him in the shelter and promised him housing, documentation, and work on television in Spain if he came with Ramos to a hotel in Tangier. That was the first day Ramos abused him and the rape continued for several years for a meager amount of money.
The second defendant is a friend of Ramos named Rafael Ojeda, a singer from Seville also known as “Falete.” The victim reportedly met him in 2016 when Ramos invited Falete to Tangier to record a television program. According to El Espanol, which has access to the victim’s complaint, the victim said, “[Falete] asked me to behave well with him, he told me he was a singer and he would also help me and give me money. He also raped me, and he gave me MAD 2,000 after abusing me for several days.”
The organization’s director, Spaniard Maria Rodriguez Almendros, supposedly knew of previous instances of abuse occurring in the center and left them unreported. She had allegedly once told friends that she had to expel a Spanish educator who had sexual relations with a minor. She left Tangier before her passport could be withdrawn, claiming it has nothing to do with the case and was instead purely for health reasons. She has abandoned the children who grew up in the Al Amal residence, the headquarters of the NGO that has been hosting kids for 14 years. The children have been transferred to other centers in the city, some separated from their siblings.
Unfortunately, this is not the only instance of foreigners abusing children in Morocco. Morocco has become a hotspot for sex tourism, which often targets children. Freemuslim condemns any and all acts of abuse towards children, who are already particularly vulnerable targets, much less those that are homeless on the streets of Morocco. We implore the international community and human rights organizations to bring awareness to the situation and condemn these deplorable acts.
