Rabat -Moroccan actress Fati Jamali took to Instagram with a shocking statement that triggered the response of many Moroccan women, especially mothers.
Jamali shared her experience with discriminatory laws that prevent her from having the same legal rights as her ex-husband when it comes to making decisions about their son.
“I do not want to celebrate mother’s day, I want to celebrate mother’s rights,” Jamali said, recounting the restrictions she faces as a woman to obtain her son’s official documents, such as an identity card and a passport.
According to the law, she needs the father’s permission to obtain those documents, as well as to be able to take her son abroad, whereas this law does not apply to men.
Mothers need more than a “happy Mother’s Day” wish on social media, Jamali said, stressing that they need equality and basic human rights that “we always hear about but never see.”
She recounted the difficult moments she has been through as a mother, including pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, divorce, as well as having full custody of her son and being his sole provider. In spite of all of this, she cannot obtain her son’s papers whereas the father can do so without needing the mother’s permission or consent.
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Jamali appealed to Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, urging him to give women their rights. She especially called for the urgent need for legal reforms to give women and mothers “their value,” arguing that her issue is “simple” in comparison to the extent of discrimination mothers and women experience in this “patriarchal society.”
Many Moroccan actors and social media influencers have expressed solidarity with Jamali, confirming that the Moroccan legal system is indeed heavily discriminatory against women and mothers.
The actress’ statement triggered a widespread response from Moroccan women, with many relating to Jamali’s story and recounting on different social media platforms, their experiences with the unfair Moroccan legal system.
Many divorced mothers talked about their inability to remarry in the fear that the ex-husband might take custody of their children. According to Article 173 of the Moroccan Family Code (Moudawana), the mother loses custody of her children on the ground of remarriage, whereas the father maintains custody of his children even if he gets married.
This law puts single mothers at a place of disadvantage, stuck between the fear of losing the custody battle and wanting to remarry and start a new family.
Morocco has in the past decade made major strides in reforming the legal code and improving the status of women, such as giving mothers the right to transmit their citizenship to their children. However, Moroccan women and activists are calling for more legal reforms to improve women’s conditions.
