RE: expat children's safety in Rabat Posted: Sun February 27, 2005 08:22 AM UTC
I'm not sure what prompted you to ask the question. Though I have not been there in a few years, unless Rabat has suddenly changed, I don't understand the concern.
You also specified that your child is blond-haired and blue-eyed and I'm not sure why you made that point. Are you afraid that blond-hair blue-eyed children are more likely to be kidnapped? I wish I could be of some help with answering that question, but I am not an expert on kidnapping in Morocco. However, I will say, that I have never heard of such a threat.
As far as urban violence is concerned, Rabat is much safer than most major US cities. I am an American and I lived in Rabat for several years and other Moroccan cities as well.
In general, I found Morocco to be a less violent society than The U. S.
I do sympathize with your concerns about traveling abroad anywhere with your young child. I'm sure I would want to be as protective to my own child as you are with yours.
Rabat is a city very used to westerners and Americans, so whether brown-haired and brown-eyed or blond-haired and blue-eyed you and your child are not going to stick out as much as you may think. There are even blond-haired blue-eyed Moroccans! Moroccans are familiar with westerners. Afterall, you can see Europe from Morocco, and every Moroccan family has at least one member who is living in or has lived in Europe
If you are just having these feelings and you have no information to back up your suspicions, then just relax and put your fears aside. It would be a great shame to miss Rabat and Morocco. Rabat is a beautiful, exciting, seaside capital and the country is full of other great cities and geography, not to mention fabulous food (Did I mention the food?). And, the hospitality of the Moroccan people is unsurpassed.
Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions I may be able to answer.
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