Morocco’s Human Rights Council Calls for Legal Reform to End Child Marriage

Carried out in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund in Morocco (UNFPA), this study comes at a time when calls for the abolition of Article 16 of the Family Code are multiplying. During a press conference, Amina Bouayach stressed that "the best interest will not be achieved until children are involved in the issue" of the abolition of child marriage.

She points out that the Council, in partnership with UNFPA, will conduct a more in-depth analysis of the study, especially the aspects on "the judicial justifications adopted for child marriage, in light of the transformations that Moroccan society is experiencing at all levels".

Speaking at this meeting, Louis Muga, representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Morocco, stated that "child marriage is not only gender-based violence, but also a major public health issue". He stresses that "this type of marriage not only violates the rights of married girls, but also the rights of their children".