Moroccan Feminists Push for Family Law Reforms on Marriage, Inheritance

This collective bringing together about thirty organizations shared its demands during a meeting with the official body preparing the new text, reports EFE.

Last September, King Mohammed VI had instructed the government to present, within six months, a reform of the Moudawana, nearly twenty years after its implementation. To this end, a commission composed of the Ministry of Justice, the Higher Council of the Judiciary, the Higher Council of Ulema, and the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has been set up.

This week, this commission began consultations with representatives of civil society and various stakeholders to take their suggestions into consideration. Ghizlane Benachir, an activist and member of the feminist collective, during this consultation session, denounced the "patriarchal" nature of the current Moudawana, which, according to her, places the man above the woman in all its articles.

She notably mentioned the issue of guardianship, pointing out that a mother, under the current law, cannot exercise this guardianship without the father’s authorization, which poses problems particularly in case of divorce. In addition, several elements of the Family Code are inspired by "Sharia" (Islamic law), particularly in matters of inheritance where a woman inherits half as much as her brother.

The current Moudawana, adopted in 2004, had already constituted a step forward in terms of women’s rights, limiting polygamy and underage marriage. However, in recent years, organizations have called for a new revision to move towards full parity.