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From New York… Morocco Presents Its Reform Path to Enhance Women’s Access to Justice
In the context of the renewed international discussion on ways to ensure justice and gender equality, Morocco presented its reform path aimed at empowering women and enhancing their access to justice before the United Nations, relying on a legislative and institutional buildup driven by clear political will over the past two decades.
During the Moroccan delegation’s intervention at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women held at the UN headquarters in New York, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family, Nouzha Bouchareb, emphasized that the legislative and institutional transformations Morocco has witnessed in women’s rights stem primarily from a consistent political will, expressed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI since ascending the throne through continuous calls for the development of the legal framework and the establishment of mechanisms to empower women to achieve their full rights and enhance their participation in various development pathways.
The minister pointed out that the Moroccan Constitution of 2011 represented a pivotal moment in this reform path, as it enshrined the principle of equality between women and men within the state’s constitutional reference and made equal opportunities one of the fundamental pillars of the legal and institutional system, alongside ensuring the right to litigation for all citizens in defense of their rights and interests protected by law.
Bouchareb confirmed that Morocco has continued in recent years to strengthen its commitment to international mechanisms for protecting women’s rights through positive engagement with relevant international agreements, including joining the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, reflecting a continuous commitment to entrenching international standards within the national legal framework.
In presenting the Moroccan experience, the minister highlighted that reforming the justice system was one of the key pillars of this reform path, where a gender perspective was integrated into judicial policies as stipulated in the Justice Reform Charter, which was translated into the revision of several legal texts and the abrogation of some provisions that reflected historical imbalances in dealing with women’s issues.
She also mentioned the adoption of the Law to Combat Violence Against Women as a significant institutional step in protecting women and girls, not only by criminalizing several acts related to violence but also by establishing specialized units within various relevant departments to facilitate victims’ access to justice and ensure their cases are handled appropriately.
In this context, the government official reviewed several national initiatives launched by the Kingdom to enhance the legal and social protection of women, including the Marrakech Declaration for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, which has become a national reference for coordinating the interventions of public institutions and civil society actors in addressing this phenomenon.
She also pointed to the efforts made at the public policy level in terms of awareness and advocacy, especially within the framework of the national campaign organized as part of the international initiative of 16 Days of Activism against Violence Against Women, where the Moroccan government chose to focus this year on aligning national legislation with the principles of equality and parity.
Alongside the legislative approach, the Moroccan delegation presented the experience of integrating digital transformation into the social protection system by launching a digital platform named “Aman Lik,” designed to facilitate women’s access to reporting, support, and shelter services, while strengthening monitoring and case handling mechanisms at both local and central levels.
Despite this legislative and institutional progress, the minister stressed that the real challenge lies not only in the development of legal texts but also in addressing some social practices that may hinder the achievement of actual equality. Thus, Morocco is currently preparing a national action plan to combat discrimination between women and men, based on a participatory approach involving various stakeholders, primarily the media, educational institutions, and families as key spaces for entrenching a culture of equality.
The Moroccan experience received a positive response within the halls of the United Nations, with several UN officials and participating delegations praising Morocco’s gradual reform approach in this field. The Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Nahla Haidar, commended the way Morocco is advancing in this path, considering that the ongoing reforms reflect a strategic vision based on clear political leadership and close cooperation between the government and civil society.
In the context of the international discussion on social justice and women’s rights, Morocco presented through this participation an image of a reform path based on gradualness and continuity, aiming to transform constitutional principles into public policies and practical programs that seek to entrench a state of law and justice and enhance equality within society.
