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Rabat – Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi has said that Morocco has recorded a sharp decline in child marriages, dropping from 26,298 cases in 2017 to 8,955 in 2024.
Ouahbi made his remarks at the House of Representatives on Monday, saying that the number of requests for underage marriage has decreased by around 20,000.
He said the decline is due to the “growing awareness of the seriousness of this phenomenon.”
Ouahbi said that Morocco’s rural areas recorded 11,83 requests in 2020 compared to 4,527 in urban areas.
The number continued to decline through 2023, with a total of 9,021 requests, of which only 2,880 were in urban areas.
For Ouahbi, child marriage is a “matter of culture and awareness,” emphasizing the importance of campaigns to sensitize parents about girls’ roles in society and the need to provide them with all opportunities for empowerment.
The statistics shared by the minister come a month after data published in the Official Bulletin shows that Moroccan courts received 16,790 requests for child marriage last year.
Girls make up the overwhelming majority of cases, with about 98% of the cases or 16,730 requests. The number of cases with boys is estimated at 254.
The report shows that approximately 64% of child requests, or 10,570 requests among girls, were approved by judges despite the legal marriage age in Morocco being 18.
The report acknowledged a drop in child marriage compared to 2023, from around 20,000 to 16,790. Approval rates remain high, however.
The data shows that the Marrakech region topped the list in terms of child marriage requests, with 2,941. Fez comes second, with 2,394 requests, followed by Kenitra, with 1,480.
Fewer requests, however, were recorded in Guelmim, with 48 requests.
