My Body My Rights in Morocco

The context in Morocco Legislation:

◦ Penal code: Last modified in 1993◦ Family Code/Personal Status Code: Last modified in 2004◦ Constitution: Last modified in 2011

Practice: change still needs to take place!◦ Cultural conservatism◦ Slow “process of change”◦ Moderate Islamist political party in power.

AI Morocco & SRR AI Morocco has been working on women’s rights issues since 1995 with other groups from the civil society.

The changes in the Family Code are a result of activism.

AI Morocco & the MBMR campaigno Feb 14, 2013: AI Morocco was one of the countries that

launched the campaign early for a 3 month period.o Identified 6 articles in the Moroccan Penal Code that are

discriminatory towards women, one of which is 475.o Organized actions with local groups (school visits, sit-ins,

lobbying, mobilization of the press and local organizations, street theatre…)

o Awareness activities were about shedding the light on the lack of protection of victims of rape in Morocco.

Photo actions

Round tables and debates

Training sessions

Street Theatre

Sit-ins and public actions

Is this problem religiously based?o Not entirely!

o The Moroccan Penal Code is directly inherited from the time of the French Protectorate in Morocco (1912 to 1956).

o A sense of conservatism and mainly male-led interpretation of the Quran and religion in general might also be problematic.

OutcomesoArticle 475 was amended in January 2014oArticle 494, which fails to protect people from

abduction, and article 496 were amended towards the end of 2013.

oAI Morocco will carry on working on the campaign for the upcoming two years to achieve more results!

Questions?

Thank You!