Moroccan girls at risk of sexual assault, forced marriage after earthquake

Moroccans affected by the earthquake in the Atlas Mountains have been forced to find shelter where they can, with many heading to the country's big cities, where they are at risk of violence [File: Bulent Kilic/AFP]

A torrent of messages posted online by men promoting the marriage of underage girls and other forms of exploitation following the powerful earthquake in Morrocco has women’s rights activists and organisations on high alert.

Amid the wreckage of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the Atlas Mountains in Morocco on September 8, an adult man, purportedly a volunteer helping survivors, poses next to a young girl of about 10.