The Justice Ministry is in the process of drafting a new law on children’s rights to protect Morocco’s children and minors from abuse and violence.
Rabat – Morocco’s Justice Minister Mohammed Ben Abdelkader today informed the Moroccan House of Representatives that his department is working on drafting a new law. Abdelkader’s announcement came after the Authenticity and Modernity group, during Monday’s house representative session, requested harsher punishment for kidnappers and rapists, in order to protect children.
Government considerations
The minister explained that the Ministry of Justice on Monday morning had conducted consultations on the topic with the national observatory of the rights of the child, within the framework of broadening the circle of consultations to local civil actors.
According to the ministry, its efforts demonstrate the commitment to follow the charter for the protection of children’s rights. The charter was signed in 2019 by Princess Lalla Meryem, in her role as president of the National Observatory for Rights of the Child (ONDE).
The minister emphasized the importance of integrating a law that protects Morocco’s children and minors, clarifying that criminal policy is not limited to just simply determining punishments. Abdelkader stated that criminal policy must also take human rights into consideration.,
The minister explained that the current criminal law, article 471 and 484 or other articles related to indecent assault or kidnapping crimes already include prison sentences of up to 10 years.
Efforts in support of children
Morocco has made the protection of children a key issue in recent years. On June 17, Princess Lalla Zineb, as president of the Moroccan League for Child Protection (LMPE) chaired a signing ceremony of the partnership between the ministry of culture, youth and sport, and LMPE.
The agreement was part of Morocco’s program to protect the rights of vulnerable children and young people. It aims to work on promoting education programs and raising awareness related to children and youth issues, including the rights of the child and protection against abandonment and marginalization.
On 30 September, ONDE similarly launched a new national dynamic program that aims to support civil society organizations at the national and local levels. It will organize training to benefit children by organizing civil society actors, in order to prevent and combat violence and sexual abuse against children.
Read also: Morocco Launches Campaign to Counter Abuse, Violence Against Children
On October 19, Morocco’s Ministry of Solidarity and Social Development launched a national informational campaign. The campaign is expected to last six months and aims to protect children against violence.
The campaign also sought to raise awareness against child abuse and provided a platform to encourage Moroccan children to share their thoughts and opinions on the issues and to boost their knowledge about the danger of abuse and violence.
