COVID-19: Morocco Releases 251 Minors From Child Protection Centers

Rabat – The Moroccan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, decided to send some minors living in Child Protection Centers back home to their families, following the preventive measures to manage the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco, declared the ministry on March 21 in a press release.

The ministry’s decision will affect 251 minors so far, including minors in legal dispute or in difficult situations.

The adjustment to the typical procedures is an adaptation to the exceptional circumstances in the country, the ministry said in a press release, referring to the COVID-19 spread.

The reform follows a request from Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Hassan Abyaba to allow children to go home. Abyaba sent the request to the government, the deputy chairman of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, and the president of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the release added.

The government approved the request as a measure to preserve the public health, including the young residents and administrative staff of Child Protection Centers.

The ministry praised those who helped make the move possible, including the first presidents of the Courts of Appeal, the presidents of the courts of first instance, the public prosecutors, the judges of minors, and the administrative and educational executives in Child Protection Centers, the press release said.

In a similar reform of Moroccan institutions, the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) announced new measures on March 18 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among detainees.

DGAPR reduced the number of visitors of individual detainees to one person only and restricted the number of visits to one per month, retracting the previously announced mandate of 15 days between visits.

The new preventive measures in Moroccan prisons have received positive feedback from detainees and their families, DGAPR stated in a press release.

Morocco has taken major reforms in light of the spread of COVID-19 since the declaration of the first case on March 2.