Associative actor and women’s rights activist, Aïcha Ech-Channa died Sunday at the age of 81 in a Casablanca clinic after a long illness, medical sources said.

Known for her extensive record of activism in the social field, the deceased is one of the icons of women’s rights defense.

Born on August 14, 1941, in Casablanca, the late Ech-Channa started her professional career as a nurse. She began her action in favor of women in need of assistance as an employee of the Ministry of Health in Morocco.

In 1985, she founded the Solidarité Féminine Association (French acronym ASF), a Casablanca-based charity that assists single women and victims of rape.