Morocco's Proposed Constitution Amendments Support Women's Rights

Morocco's parliamentary election, to be held on November 25, will determine if new provisions, which would greatly benefit women, will be adopted in the nation's constitution.The provisions promote women's economic, social, and cultural rights, according to Women's eNews. Zahra Chagaf, a Moroccan politician, stated, "Thanks to the new constitution, all of women's rights are based on the principles of equality. Before it was just equality between husband and wife, but now it is principled at all levels of society. We will work until the constitution is completely respected."

The constitutional reform also includes measures to address domestic violence. Morocco's High commission for Planning found in its 2011 national study that approximately 63 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 64 had experienced violence in the previous year, and for 55 percent of those women, the violence was committed by their husbands.

Fatima Sadiqi, a lecturer at the University of Fes in Morocco and Harvard University, remarked, "People are tired of promises. They want to see things happening on the ground. In order to apply them you need the infrastructure, schools in rural areas. That's not easy. There should be a serious thought about these issues, and this is the moment. Elections are close."

Media Resources: Women's eNews 11/21/11; TrustLaw 11/21/11

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