Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Official finding Islam (convicted individuals) Ruqya, shrine, and healing contexts Bouya Omar, El Kelâa des Sraghna, Morocco · 2015

Bouya Omar: official findings end shrine-based confinement of people with mental illness

Record class

Institutional event

Evidence status

Official finding

Authority role

saint-shrine custodial and intermediary system, families and paid keepers controlling residents

Organization

Bouya Omar shrine site

Spiritual nexus

The cited record identifies belief in healing associated with a local saint, confinement, chains and physical restraint, denial of medical care, and violence and maltreatment as the material spiritual doctrine, practice, authority, or pretext connected to the documented harm. The relevant authority role is saint-shrine custodial and intermediary system and families and paid keepers controlling residents.

  • Spiritual healing or treatment

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2015-06-29 · official field study and Operation Karama closure

    Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Morocco. The ministry completed evacuation and medical assessment of the site, reporting that hospitals received 795 people and that the operation was intended to end documented rights violations.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • belief in healing associated with a local saint
  • confinement
  • chains and physical restraint
  • denial of medical care
  • violence and maltreatment

Primary record

Sources

government official finding field study and intervention Morocco Ministry of Health, 'Launch of the Karama initiative for people with mental illness residing at Bouya Omar' (June 11, 2015; French).

The official field-study summary reports more than 800 residents, lack of medical treatment for 70 percent, widespread signs of violence and maltreatment, malnutrition and poor living conditions, and the operation designed to end those rights violations.

government official record operation completion Morocco Ministry of Health, 'End of Operation Bouya Omar and preparation for the second phase of Karama' (June 29, 2015; French).

The ministry's completion notice records 795 hospital admissions, 27 family reunifications on request and the stated purpose of ending violations and restoring dignified care.

intergovernmental official record state party review UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, summary record of Morocco review, CRPD/C/SR.330 (2017).

The official UN summary records Morocco's description of the site as a local saint's monument where people sought help for mental disability, its dismantling, transfers to mental-health care and family reunification. The government delegation reported a broader total exceeding 1,000 people.

Related record

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