Moroccan Divorce Rates Surge to Nearly 27,000 Cases in 2021, Ministry Reports

In its response to a question from the parliamentary group of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), the Ministry of Justice said it had noted a slight decrease in divorce cases since the entry into force of the Family Code in 2004 until 2021, from 26,914 cases to 20,372 cases in 2020, before increasing to reach a total of 26,957 cases in 2021.

Consensual divorce is the most chosen formula by Moroccans, the ministry revealed, noting that these types of divorce have increased from 1,860 cases in 2004 to 20,655 in 2021. On the other hand, retroactive divorce has experienced a significant decline over the years, stabilizing at 526 cases in 2021 against 7,146 cases in 2004.

As for divorce under judicial control, it was provided for by the Family Code in order to reduce the abuses of the husband and the damage suffered by women and children due to divorce, and above all, to ensure a certain stability of the family to allow the children to be raised in a healthy environment, recalls the Ministry of Justice.

In all cases of divorce, the Family Code requires the spouses to attempt reconciliation, except for the pretext of absence. Divorce is only pronounced after having noted the failure of the judicial procedures aimed at reconciling the spouses. A functional framework at the level of family justice services assists judges in the attempts to reconcile the spouses engaged in a divorce.