African Migrant Mothers in Morocco Face Challenges, Seek Regularization

"These are women from different African countries, from Congo (DRC and Brazza, 70% of cases), from Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger... whose child was most often born in Morocco, or more rarely during the journey. While some are undocumented, the majority of them have been living here for more than five years and have therefore been able to benefit from the exceptional regularization launched by King Mohammed VI," said Mountaga Diop in an interview with Jeune Afrique.

According to his explanations, most are in an integration process and not in transit migration. But they face certain difficulties. "These women cannot go to work since they have no one to take care of their children, and they don’t have the means either to enroll them in a private nursery, he further explains. They are therefore at an impasse, in a state of great vulnerability, psychological and financial, which exposes them and their children to all kinds of dangers. These families, for example, constitute prey for pimps or pedocriminals."

To help these women, Mountaga Diop created Kirikou in 2015, an association that works for the protection and development of minors so that they can enjoy their rights (health, education, family and a healthy and dignified living environment). He also opened a daycare center to care for the children of 18 months to 5 years old born to isolated migrant mothers. In addition to the children of migrant mothers from sub-Saharan Africa, the Kirikou nursery also welcomes Moroccan children from vulnerable families or whose mother is isolated.