Morocco’s Justice Minister Pushes to Criminalize Child Marriage as Cases Rise

"I am in favor of criminalizing the marriage of minors. That is my personal conviction," said the Minister of Justice. Abdellatif Ouahbi revealed during his speech that the number of cases of child marriage is decreasing, but remains a major problem to be solved. "From 26,000 cases in 2017, we went down to 12,000 cases in 2020. This decline was not maintained as the number has risen again in 2021 to reach 19,000 cases."

For the minister, putting an end to this phenomenon comes down to resolving the issue of the judge who is legally empowered to authorize the marriage of minors. "The minimum age of marriage must be 18 and not less," he recalled.