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Rabat – Former Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane continues to share concerns about some of the amendments proposed by the government as part of the royal instructions to review the family code.
Benkirane echoed his concerns during an internal meeting of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) on Sunday, during which he claimed that the amendments aim to help “women more than men, to weaken masculinity and eliminate the concept of male guardianship.”
For the PJD leader, the amendments proposed seek to “destroy” and cause the “collapse of society.”
Benkirane further claimed that some amendments have contributed to the rise of violence against women, “as seen in France, where women are killed by their husbands or partners,” warning that similar proposals could also cause young people to avoid marriage and lead to an increase in divorce rates.
In December last year, Morocco’s religious authorities approved the proposed amendments to the family code, including granting legal guardianship of children to mothers with custody and recognizing the contributions of a wife’s domestic work to the wealth and property accumulated during the marriage.
Legal guardianship of children will be also shared between parents during and after marriage, while divorced mothers can retain custody of their children even if they decide to remarry.
Similar propositions were met with frustration by many, including the PJD.
According to a statement from the PJD at Sunday’s meeting, Benkirane questioned “how one could evaluate a woman’s work within the home,” noting the shared financial responsibility proposal is a “Western concept” and “foreign to Moroccan society.”
Benkirane also reiterated his concerns about the approach taken by Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi in handling the proposals.
“The minister’s remarks about complicating legal procedures for marriages of girls under 18 and declaring this without any shame is atrocious,” the PJD website quoted Benkirane as saying, calling on Ouahbi to address the “real problems of society” like spinsterhood, divorce and declining fertility rates.
This is not the first time Benkirane has criticized the reforms suggested in the review of the Moroccan family code, or Moudawana.
In December, Benkirane pointed out what he sees as contentious challenges, among which is the inclusion of marital housing in inheritance and its potential to disrupt inheritance rights.
He also took issue with what he perceives as the oversimplification of divorce procedures, the direct obligation of financial maintenance after signing marriage contracts, and the fact that divorced mothers are granted automatic custody of children regardless of remarriage.
“These issues, although addressed by the Fatwa Committee, have caused great concern among the public due to their potential negative and dangerous effects on family formation, which is founded on love, mercy, mutual respect, and kindness,” PJD said.
