Spanish-Born Children of Moroccan Mother Struggle for Citizenship Despite Years in Spain

Zouhira, better known as Sara in Malaga, is desperately trying to obtain Spanish nationality for her three children born from her previous marriage to a Moroccan who subjected her to extreme violence. The three children were born and schooled in Spain, only speak Spanish and have only been to Morocco once, when they were still young, reports La Opinion de Malaga.

Arrived legally in Spain 17 years ago, the Moroccan woman married Curro López, a man of Spanish origin, in 2020. That same year, she obtained exclusive legal custody of her three children. Today, she is fighting for her children to obtain Spanish nationality. Their father, who regularly subjected her to violence, had refused to initiate the administrative procedures to allow the children to obtain Spanish nationality, she explains.

To read: Moroccan Economist Wins Spanish Citizenship After Years-Long Wait

For Sara, asking for nationality for her children is a matter of logic because they have not known any other country besides Spain, and no language or culture other than Spanish. In Morocco, exclusive custody of the children is not granted to the woman, she details, adding that the children could never return to Spain if they risked going to the kingdom. "As soon as they enter Morocco, the police can arrive with a relative of their father and take them away," she points out, fearful.

"If they obtain Spanish nationality, Morocco would no longer have rights over them and they could visit the family," says Sara, indicating that due to this situation, the minors do not know most of the Moroccan family members and "communicate with their grandparents by videoconference". The Moroccan woman does not know how much longer the procedure will take, while in a year, her eldest son will be 18 years old. "We started this process more than two years ago, without success," criticizes Curro López, the future "father" of the three children who will bear his name.