Oued Zem
Oued Zem is a city in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco. According to the 2014 Moroccan census Oued Zem had a population of 95,267.
Oued Zem was a French settlement during the 20th century. On 20 August 1955, during the testimony period of Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef an uprising of the local tribes took place in Oued Zem which led to a massacre of French and Moroccan civilians. After Moroccan independence, it is the memory of the extent of the repression that gave Oued Zem martyr city status.
Unemployment rates in Oued Zem are higher than elsewhere in Morocco. Many people in Oued Zem have relied upon remittances from relatives working in Europe, which became scarcer after the 2008 economic crash. The city has subsequently become called 'the capital of the "sextortion" industry': after victims are lured to participate in online sexual encounters, they are blackmailed by the threat of YouTube and Facebook exposure.
