Across Europe, a series of disturbing rape and sexual-assault cases involving migrant men from Muslim-majority countries has drawn attention to the vulnerability of disabled, elderly and otherwise dependent women. From a 23-year-old quadriplegic woman in France to women aged 80, 82, 90, 93 and 95, the cases described below involve victims who were particularly vulnerable because of disability, advanced age, illness or dependence on care.
Moroccan caregiver in France raped 23-year-old quadriplegic woman
The latest case concerns a 40-year-old Moroccan caregiver raped Mayline, a 23-year-old quadriplegic woman in a wheelchair at a specialist care facility near Toulouse. The complaint was filed on behalf of Mayline in July 2025, but the Toulouse public prosecutor’s office dismissed the case on August 1, 2026. Her mother, Nathalie Muet, has publicly criticised the decision and said she is exploring further legal options.
The mother said her daughter, who has significant communication difficulties, was frightened of returning to the facility after the assault. She also alleged that the sexual abuse was repeated. The Moroccan caregiver had been implicated in two other sexual-assault cases involving young women at the same facility. He was subsequently removed from his position and detained during the investigation. The case has sparked outrage over the protection of vulnerable women with disabilities and the need for stronger safeguards in care institutions.
Senegalese migrant raped disabled minor in Spain
Another case concerns a 40-year-old Senegalese man raped a teenage girl with an intellectual disability in Manacor, Spain. The incident occurred on April 30, 2020, after the defendant met the girl through Instagram. Prosecutors say he knew that she had a clearly perceptible intellectual disability.
According to the prosecution, the accused entered a garage after persuading the teenager to open its door, prevented her from leaving and threatened her and her sister. Prosecutors allege that he subsequently raped her. The defendant denies the allegation and told the court that he had never entered the garage. Prosecutors are seeking nine years in prison, followed by deportation after three-quarters of the sentence, as well as €20,000 in compensation for the emotional harm.
Afghan migrant raped disabled schoolgirl at Strasbourg swimming pool
In Strasbourg, France, a 26-year-old Afghan national Sayed Abbas Azghari was indicted in 2023 over the rape of a 15-year-old girl described by local reporting as slightly disabled. The incident occurred at a public swimming pool in Lingolsheim in May 2023. Prosecutors also accused the man of three additional sexual assaults involving two other 15-year-old girls and a woman in her forties at swimming pools across Strasbourg.
One of the victims alerted a lifeguard, prompting the pool to be closed and police to arrest Sayed Abbas Azghari. He was charged with rape of a vulnerable person and multiple sexual assaults. Prosecutors sought his continued detention while the investigation proceeded.
Afghan caregiver accused of raping 82 year-old woman in Vienna
In Vienna, an Afghan caregiver identified in reports as 26-year-old Sarafaz Z., was arrested after the rape of an 82-year-old Austrian woman suffering from dementia. The incident reportedly occurred in September 2025 inside the woman’s apartment. Her son had installed cameras because of concerns about his mother’s care and witnessed the incident in real time on his mobile phone.
According to the reports, the caregiver confessed after his arrest, although the investigation remained open. The family said the elderly woman was profoundly traumatised and had “lost her will to live.” The case also generated controversy over the response of the organisation that had arranged the caregiver’s employment and concerns about the family’s ability to protect the woman through surveillance cameras.
Afghan man charged in death of 80-year-old French woman
In Niort, France, an Afghan man was arrested in September 2025 after an 80-year-old woman was raped so violently that she died. The attack occurred during the night of July 5–6, 2025. Police arrested the suspect on September 27, and the Poitiers prosecutor’s office confirmed that he was born in Afghanistan and had arrived in France in 2005. He was placed in pre-trial detention.
The case shocked the local community because the victim was an elderly woman and the sexual violence was fatal. The investigation illustrates the devastating consequences that sexual violence can have when perpetrators target people who may be unable to defend themselves because of age or physical vulnerability.
Iraqi National Munthar Al L. Rapedb90-year-old woman in German hospital
An earlier German case involved 33-year-old Iraqi national Munthar Al L., who faced charges over the rape of a 90-year-old disabled woman confined to a wheelchair. The woman had been taken to Dresden-Friedrichstadt Hospital from her retirement home for an X-ray following a fall. Prosecutors accused the Iraqi national of rape involving intentional bodily harm after the attack in an emergency-room toilet.
Samir B. raped two women in their 90s at French hospital
In October 2023, French police arrested 44-year-old Samir B. over involving two elderly patients at Victor Dupouy Hospital in Argenteuil. The victims were 93 and 95 years old and were being treated in the hospital’s geriatric department.
Police were called after the suspect was seen leaving the room of the 93-year-old woman. Investigators found semen on her bedsheets, although reports noted that it had not been confirmed as belonging to the suspect. The 95-year-old woman subsequently told police that she had also been sexually assaulted and raped earlier that day. The 93-year-old woman later lost consciousness and died after what authorities described as a suspected cardiac arrest; prosecutors said the circumstances of her death required a separate investigation and autopsy.
Migration backlash grows across Europe
The repeated cases of sexual violence involving Muslim migrant men and vulnerable women have intensified concerns in Europe over illegal migration, integration and public safety. They have fuelled demands for stricter border controls, stronger screening and tougher action against foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes.
This backlash is increasingly visible through the rise of parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and anti-illegal-migration demonstrations across Europe. The debate is now extending beyond Muslim migration numbers to questions of security, social cohesion and the protection of elderly and disabled citizens.
