Morocco Prepares Major Family Code Reform to Boost Women’s Rights

After several calls from the Moroccan feminist movement for a reform of the Moudawana after that of 2004, King Mohammed VI launched the project of this reform two months ago. The commission in charge of this review of the Family Code has a deadline of six months to propose a new text. In this context, it receives amendments from civil society organizations, progressives, whose views differ from those of Islamists and conservatives.

While progressives demand that the reform be based on international texts protecting the rights of women and children, conservatives prefer to maintain the status quo, namely that the Moudawana draws its essence from sharia (Islamic law). Concretely, feminists want the new Family Code to end discrimination between men and women in matters of child custody, inheritance, marriage, divorce and polygamy, among others.

A collective that brings together the majority of Moroccan feminist NGOs denounces, for example, the legalization of polygamy in exceptional cases. It also calls for the abolition of the marriage of minors and the end of discrimination against children born out of wedlock. "Marriage deprives girls of several rights, such as school education, and does not allow them to live with dignity," said Amina Byouz, president of the Anaouate Foundation for Rights and Development in the province of Chichaoua.

Feminist NGOs also demand full and effective protection of women against gender-based violence. "We want these women to stay at home and it is the husband who leaves the house. Currently, the victims go to shelters, but this solution does not guarantee their dignity or the interests of the children," explains Amal Azzouzi, president of the Mubadarat association.