Abdellatif Ouahbi, Minister of Justice. Credit: MAP
The Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi announced, Monday in Fez, that the government is considering the establishment of a national agency for child protection with the objective of strengthening and improving the services provided to children.
The government is in the process of developing a common vision on this institution, which should have branches in the different regions of the Kingdom, Ouahbi said at the opening of the national meeting devoted to monitoring the implementation of results of the National Conference on the protection of children in contact with the law (June 10-11).
The minister noted that this new institution is called upon to play an important role in improving the situation of children, by offering professional, agricultural and educational training for this category.
He welcomed the training provided to children in correctional and penitentiary institutions, emphasizing the need for combined efforts for the integration of this category into the labor market.
Ouahbi also announced the government’s intention to create centers dedicated to the care of child drug addicts with the aim of strengthening their integration into society, reviewing the efforts of the Ministry of Justice in matters of protection of mothers and children, in particular the creation of a children’s park at its headquarters in Rabat and others at the level of certain courts and the reduction of working hours for female civil servants who have dependent on children with disabilities.
For his part, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khaled Ait Taleb indicated, in a speech read on his behalf, that Morocco has come a long way in the field of protecting the rights of the child in adopting numerous measures aimed at promoting the well-being of children and protecting their rights in various areas.
Among these measures, explained the minister, is the adoption of the integrated national child health policy for 2030, in harmony with Morocco’s orientations in the field of promoting children’s rights. to health and healthy development by guaranteeing this right to all children in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Kingdom and Morocco’s national and international commitments.
Ait Taleb emphasized the crucial role played by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in promoting and protecting children’s health through the development of public health programs aimed at reducing the infant mortality rate, promote healthy diets and provide quality health services.
He also focused on the actions undertaken by the ministry to strengthen families’ awareness of the importance of health by guaranteeing the necessary support to parents for better care of their children, also emphasizing the department’s role in protecting children from violence and exploitation.
Organized by the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and with the support of the European Union, this two-day meeting includes plenary sessions during which the state of locations of the different stages, as well as the most important issues and challenges related to childhood issues.
