Al Maghrib - First year - June 28, 1937

Al Maghrib had published in an earlier edition a letter from a gentleman from Safi deploring the working conditions of young Moslem girls who complained about their lot in the employ of Jewish families. It had barely been released when a flood of letters from readers echoed his consternation, adding more examples and requesting an end to this unenviable situation.

This general outcry is a good sign from the Moroccan society who is beginning to recognize some aspects of its depravity and becoming aware of (the impact on) their dignity. It insists on the need to avoid having our young girls be victims of poverty which is such that they have no other choice but to seek employment within the Jewish community under the most base and degrading work conditions.

We sincerely hope that this sentiment grows and leads to the establishment of practical concepts such as the creation of education and employment centers if only to save our young girls from the servile state they find themselves in. If we are offended by the nature of the work entrusted to them, then we must think about the means that will likely put an end to such practices.

We must not find satisfaction by expressing regret or by demanding the public authorities to take measures (to address the problem) which, even if they are adopted, will remain ineffective.

On the other hand, if in each town a group is formed, then they can decide to carry out a very simple project requiring little effort, (namely) to open a center to gather these poor girls and teach them handicrafts and some basic elementary education. Meanwhile the resulting sales of their handiwork would be used for their upkeep. The group's work would be very useful and would contribute largely to improving the onerous lot of Moroccan young girls. They will have saved them from their struggles due to ignorance and extreme poverty.

We have all the reason to count on ourselves to carry out remedies to the ills that gnaw at us. We must think about practical solutions and about related projects to distance us from the narrow minded and individualistic society that dominates all our activities and makes us retreat backwards only to be swallowed by the utmost degree of regression,

This is the type of simple projects we must think of and it is the enactment of these type of activities that we must carry out.