Morocco Launches Study to Assess Child Marriage Laws and Practices

The consultant’s first task will be to look at the authorizations issued by family affairs judges, determine the context in which these authorizations are granted, and analyze the conditions under which these exemptions are granted. The study must also describe the profile of married children, i.e. their sex, age, social and economic status, schooling, literacy, and identify the socio-economic reasons for which they have entered into marriage.

In Morocco, the legislator has set the legal age of marriage at 18 since 2004. However, the Family Code provides for "exemptions" in exceptional cases. For example, Article 20 stipulates that "the family judge in charge of the marriage may authorize the marriage of the boy and the girl before the age of matrimonial capacity [...], by a reasoned decision specifying the interest and the reasons justifying the marriage."

By calling for such a consultation, the CNDH is pursuing its fight for the abolition of child marriage. In 2018, it had launched an awareness campaign under the slogan "Marriage of minors: Abolish the exception... restore the norm." Many awareness-raising and discussion activities have been carried out on the subject.