Better aware of their rights, women are more apt to enjoy them
Morocco, Politics, 3/7/2005

If the rights of Moroccan women have experienced significant evolutions, it remains nevertheless true that better awareness of these rights make women more apt to exercise them.

The new family code enacted by Morocco one year ago comes to mirror the values of justice in the Moroccan society model.

As the world is marking the women's day, Morocco is celebrating one year of the enactment of the new family code which is a crucial tool in achieving the bold democratic choice that Morocco has opted for and meeting the aspirations of women and also of men who believe in gender equality both in rights and duties.

These reforms are all the more made necessary by the socio-economic evolution in Morocco and the Moroccan civil society is geared to having the role of women fully recognized as central in the country's development.

It was at the initiative of King Mohammed VI that major reforms where introduced to the old law. Indeed, the sovereign had made it clear that a society cannot move forward when half of its members is lagging behind and denied the most basic rights guaranteed by Islam and the Koran.

Actually, the new text puts the family under the joint responsibility of the two spouses, raises the minimum marriage age to 18 for both men and women, sets stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible and also provides for other key provisions that cater for the rights of children after the parents divorce.

Efforts have been made by the Moroccan society for this landmark gain that places a harmonious and strong family at the core of a developed society.

Today, 33% of Moroccan women are active, 22% are supporting their families and increasingly high number are having access to top positions. Their strong presence is also noticed in education, and health (24%), as attorneys and dentists (30%) as well as in private enterprises where 6,000 women are managers and in the public service where one third of employees are women.

While the Moroccan government includes only two women and the parliament three women, political parties have agreed that 30 women will sit in the coming legislature.

However, despite this impressive headway, there is still the need for a considerable effort of education, particularly as regards girls schooling and as regards innovative curricula that disseminate new principles since law, alone, cannot trigger the changes that the new family law seeks to introduce.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco to lift reserves on women discrimination convention, Minister   (3/2/2005)
  The action of the Moroccan justice and reconciliation commission is most positive, AI Chief   (2/14/2005)
  Morocco's strides in building democracy highlighted by IP member   (1/22/2005)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search