Fes – (Fes News) – In plain sight of elected officials, associations, and government bodies, at the very gateway of Fes train station, a societal scourge grows more acute by the day: the phenomenon of homeless individuals, street children, and mentally ill people.
When we speak of the train station in a city of Fes’s size and stature, we are talking about a strategically vital point for the intellectual capital on all levels, especially tourism. Homeless men and women, numbering in the dozens, increase in number daily. The same applies to street children who have made the station’s outer courtyard, the taxi stand, cafes, restaurants, shops, and nearby residential neighborhoods a fertile ground for harassment and indecent behavior, targeting citizens and foreign tourists alike. Most of these homeless individuals, street children, and mentally ill people flock to the area in droves, coming from various marginalized neighborhoods of Fes.
Related to this issue, not far from the train station on Lalla Hassna Street, there is an abandoned villa overflowing with garbage and filth amidst residential buildings. This villa houses a large number of homeless men and women, including minors, who relentlessly harass the residents, especially in the late hours of the night. This is not all; the aforementioned villa is known for occasional outbreaks of violent conflicts and arson incidents due to the activities of these homeless individuals and fools.