Children's parliament to hold four sessions this year

The newly set up children's parliament will hold this year four sessions, the Moroccan Observatory on Children Rights "ONDE," which is behind the initiative together with other ministries, said on Wednesday.

The institution is conceived as a forum of meetings and exchanges and an opportunity for children to express their opinion and propose solutions as part of the implementation of the UN convention on children's rights.

Some 357 children from various Moroccan regions will sit in the parliament, the first experience of the kind in the Arab world.

This institution will be composed initially of pupils representing the same constituencies as those represented in the adult parliament, handicapped children (6%) and deaf-mute children (4%). Four children representing pupils attending foreign schools in Morocco and six members representing students of vocational training centers and children of the Moroccan community living abroad will also sit in the parliament.

Selection of the students was made according to their school records. Girls were allocated 55% of seats in view of their excellent school results.

The parliament will hold a regional session this month, a session on May 25 as Morocco will be celebrating the national children day, a session next fall to mark the back-to-school season and another one on November 20 on the occasion of the anniversary of the UN convention on children rights.

The members of the children parliament will then hold a meeting with their adult peers and with members of the Cabinet at the parliament in Rabat.