Moroccan Women Enter the Male World of Professional Fishing
2020-03-30
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1Fatima Mekhnas' feet sink into the golden sand as she looks at the last beach in Morocco's north.
2One can almost see a sense of hopefulness in her eyes.
3Mekhnas has finally realized her dream of working on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean.
4Behind her, the members of Morocco's first female fishing cooperative push a small boat toward the water.
5It is time to go fishing.
6The women jump in the boat and start on the first government-recognized female fishing trip.
7After two years of training, they have broken through the barriers of a male-dominated field.
8"We live in the sea and if we separate from it, we will die like fish," Mekhnas told The Associated Press.
9"The sea is my entire life and that of my children and the people of the village."
10Mekhnas is president of the fishing cooperative in Belyounech, a village at the bottom of Mount Moses.
11The village is cut off from the world except for a side facing the sea.
12Belyounech overlooks the Spanish town of Ceuta, seven kilometers to the east.
13The closing of the Ceuta border in the early 2000s hurt the local economy.
14Village men who had worked in Ceuta were forced to fall back on traditions of their ancestors.
15They began pulling octopus, squid and red tuna from the waters to feed their families and sell in nearby towns.
16Women returned to doing domestic work.
17"I was a house cleaner and a nanny in Ceuta," said 60-year-old Khedouj Ghazil.
18"I worked for families for 20 euros a day and made a comfortable living. But when the border was closed, I just stayed home for years and years, watching the sea from my window."
19Then she and other women began repairing fishing equipment and cleaning boats - but without pay.
20Women have few paying jobs in the independent fishing business.
21One reason was lack of training.
22The industry provides 170,000 direct jobs and the money earned helps 5.2 million Moroccans, says Thami Mechti, of the National Maritime Popularization Center in Larache.
23"For two years, we've been giving women all the necessary training so they can fish safely and professionally and know how to keep themselves from harm's way," Mechti said.
24Of the 19 women in the Belyounech cooperative, only four earned money from fishing in the past.
25"Men didn't like the fact that a woman is at sea fishing," said Fatiha Naji, who was forced to become a fisher after her husband lost his job when the border closed.
26She faced insults for working.
27She said, "I would often think what if other women in the village were with me."
28The cooperative was launched in March 2018 to help the women enter the market.
29At first, they repaired equipment - although this time, for money.
30Then the women began to set their eyes on the sea.
31Mekhnas said, "Working in the sea is not easy but it is what my sisters and I love. It is finally coming true."
32I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Fatima Mekhnas' feet sink into the golden sand as she looks at the last beach in Morocco's north. One can almost see a sense of hopefulness in her eyes. 2Mekhnas has finally realized her dream of working on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean. Behind her, the members of Morocco's first female fishing cooperative push a small boat toward the water. 3It is time to go fishing. 4The women jump in the boat and start on the first government-recognized female fishing trip. After two years of training, they have broken through the barriers of a male-dominated field. 5"We live in the sea and if we separate from it, we will die like fish," Mekhnas told The Associated Press. "The sea is my entire life and that of my children and the people of the village." 6Mekhnas is president of the fishing cooperative in Belyounech, a village at the bottom of Mount Moses. The village is cut off from the world except for a side facing the sea. Belyounech overlooks the Spanish town of Ceuta, seven kilometers to the east. The closing of the Ceuta border in the early 2000s hurt the local economy. 7Village men who had worked in Ceuta were forced to fall back on traditions of their ancestors. They began pulling octopus, squid and red tuna from the waters to feed their families and sell in nearby towns. 8Women returned to doing domestic work. 9"I was a house cleaner and a nanny in Ceuta," said 60-year-old Khedouj Ghazil. "I worked for families for 20 euros a day and made a comfortable living. But when the border was closed, I just stayed home for years and years, watching the sea from my window." 10Then she and other women began repairing fishing equipment and cleaning boats - but without pay. 11Women have few paying jobs in the independent fishing business. One reason was lack of training. The industry provides 170,000 direct jobs and the money earned helps 5.2 million Moroccans, says Thami Mechti, of the National Maritime Popularization Center in Larache. 12"For two years, we've been giving women all the necessary training so they can fish safely and professionally and know how to keep themselves from harm's way," Mechti said. 13Of the 19 women in the Belyounech cooperative, only four earned money from fishing in the past. 14"Men didn't like the fact that a woman is at sea fishing," said Fatiha Naji, who was forced to become a fisher after her husband lost his job when the border closed. She faced insults for working. 15She said, "I would often think what if other women in the village were with me." 16The cooperative was launched in March 2018 to help the women enter the market. At first, they repaired equipment - although this time, for money. Then the women began to set their eyes on the sea. 17Mekhnas said, "Working in the sea is not easy but it is what my sisters and I love. It is finally coming true." 18I'm Jonathan Evans. 19Amira El-Masaiti and Mosa'ab Elshamy reported this story for the Associated Press. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22beach -n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake 23cooperative - n. an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services 24male-dominated -adj. a society, organization, or area of activity is one in which men have most of the power and influence. 25domestic - adj. relating to or involving someone's home or family 26nanny -n. a woman who is paid to care for a young child usually in the child's home 27comfortable -adj. not causing any physically unpleasant feelings; producing physical comfort 28professionally - adv. done to the technical or ethical standards of a profession