Collective 490

Raissouni and her partner were arrested for engaging in extramarital sex and attempting to obtain an abortion, both crimes in Morocco. A court found them guilty on both charges, and they were sentenced to a year in prison; Raissouni’s medical team was also tried and convicted. Because Raissouni was a vocal critic of the government, many viewed her conviction as an act of political retribution.

Raissouni’s case inspired Terrab to take action. She began reaching out to female colleagues and associates throughout Morocco, asking them to join her in denouncing the arrest. Terrab collaborated with Slimani to co-author a manifesto asserting a woman’s right to sexual privacy and declaring themselves “outlaws” in open defiance of the Moroccan legal system. Accusing the government of hypocrisy and corruption, the authors further charged that the laws were not only hostile to women but also “tools of political and personal revenge” to silence dissent.

The manifesto gave birth to Collective 490. The name is derived from Article 490 of the Moroccan penal code, which criminalizes sexual activity outside of marriage. To lend their manifesto greater potency, the authors decided to wait until they had gathered 490 signatures before publishing it online. The word-of-mouth response proved both immediate and overwhelming, as thousands of men and women willingly risked their freedom to add their names to the petition.

Once the manifesto was published, strategic use of social media accelerated the collective’s momentum. As the document circulated online, a groundswell of publicity arose both in Morocco and around the world. Radio and television programs gave the movement prominent coverage, while newspapers in France, notably Le Monde, reprinted the manifesto in its entirety. Two days after it appeared on the front page of Libération, King Mohammed VI officially pardoned Raissouni and the other accused.

By January 2020, the Collective 490 manifesto had collected more than 15,000 signatures. That month, Terrab, Slimani, and Nadir won the Simone de Beauvoir Prize in recognition of their fight on behalf of women’s freedom.

Launched in reaction to a specific injustice, Collective 490 quickly evolved into a broader movement advocating for the rights of all Moroccan women. Through their courage, the collective’s founders have demonstrated how self-sacrifice in the name of equality can represent one of the most powerful acts of generosity an individual can perform on behalf of society.

Contributors: Maha Tazi, Stephen Meyer