International Mechanism Submissions

The Advocates for Human Rights, together with Mobilising for Rights Associates (MRA), submitted a Joint Alternative Report on women's rights in Morocco for the 82nd Session of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Violence against women (VAW) is widespread in Morocco and the state's response remains inadequate. In a 2019 nationwide survey, 57% of women ages 15 to 74 (58% in urban areas and 55% in rural areas) reported experiencing at least one act of violence in the twelve months preceding the survey. This included psychological violence (49%), economic violence (15%), sexual violence (14%), and physical violence (13%). Despite the ratifying of international treaties, Morocco creates opt-out clauses to declarations on international human rights by limiting the supremacy of international law in their legal codes. Morocco is not taking sufficient action in legislative advances, codified legal protections, or even the funding of intuitions such as the Authority for Parity and the Fight Against Discrimination (APALD). There is a persisting, and many times even increasing, rate of discrimination and violence against women in workplaces, political life, public life, marriage, and other personal and professional spaces. As a result, the report finds that Morocco fails to uphold its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The authors of this report recommend the following to the government of Morocco:

·         Engage with international institutions by responding to the two United Nations Special Procedure Communications dating from 2017 expressing concerns about (a) Law 103-13 on violence against women and (b) the criminalization of sexual relations outside of marriage.

·         Implement the 2011 Constitution by clearly establishing the supremacy, applicability, and justiciability in domestic courts of international human rights conventions to which Morocco is a party and of the Moroccan Constitution over national laws.

·         Amend Law 103-13, the Family Code, the Civil Status Code, and the Penal Code to reflect stronger protections against discrimination and violence against women.

·         Implement current gender parity laws for elected positions on national, regional, and local levels.

·         Improve infrastructure and transportation for rural women and girls to ensure they can access educational and professional opportunities

·         Provide specialized care to women with disabilities, exonerate them from all costs, provide services in hospitals adapted for each form of disability, develop comprehensive health coverage, strengthen communication within and between hospitals, and simplify information to make it accessible for all disabled peoples