The Democratic Association of Women (ADFM) took the opportunity of the day dedicated to the fight against violence against women, to recall the shortcomings recorded by Morocco, pointing out the delays in the execution of certain decisions and the necessity “to go further” to guarantee the safety and respect of women’s rights.
“In terms of our legal framework, reforms have been announced but have not been carried out for more than 10 years,” denounced the ADFM in a document received by Hespress FR. The association points out the case of the Penal Code, “which perpetuates the persistence of violence and discrimination and their negative impacts on women and girls”, and also adds the draft revision of the Family Code, which remains “stuck in the wheels of legislative procedures”.
The 16th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is an opportunity for several women’s rights associations to advocate to overcome the challenges posed by society.
This year, the chosen slogan is: “Zero tolerance for violence, let’s unite to end violence against women and girls” and, according to the ADFM, “he is sounding the alarm on the basis of statistics published by the United Nations.”
It also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, and the decade of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The combination of these three dates is a strong signal since it calls into question the capacity of States and governments to ensure the safety of women and to develop public policies aimed at eliminating violence.
In Morocco, the ADFM draws up a report and evaluates the degree of elimination of violence. Outside of the legal framework, the association regretted “the absence of a global approach based on results” in public policies despite a certain number of strategies put in place.
“These policies have not been able to demonstrate the required effectiveness and efficiency,” indicates the document, highlighting as proof the absence of the integration of women’s rights and the principle of gender equality in financial laws.
“This is particularly the case of the 2025 finance law, which announces the qualitative acceleration of the consolidation of reform projects in various areas and the strengthening of their governance, without referring to the transversal integration of the principle of equity and gender equality. However, monitoring is only possible through the identification of the various gaps in the collection and processing of data on women’s access to services and the recognition of their non-monetary contributions to the economy and society. “, believes the association.
In terms of mechanisms, the ADFM underlines that the Authority for parity and the fight against all forms of discrimination, a constitutional body, “is still not put in place, even though its main mission is to ensure the promotion and protection of women’s rights.”
The association took this opportunity to call for harmonizing Moroccan legislation and public policies with Morocco’s national and international commitments in this area and to truly subscribe to the 2030 Development Goals.
The ADFM therefore proposes 6 levers to activate to guarantee the effectiveness of women’s rights and their protection against violence and discrimination. This concerns the revision of law 103-13 in accordance with United Nations standards to combat gender-based violence, the acceleration of the modification of discriminatory laws in general, in particular the Family Code, the code criminal law and the code of criminal procedure.
The association seeks the activation of public policies, strategies and programs specific to the elimination of violence against women, by allocating significant human and financial resources to them. This with the aim of enabling them to respond fully and effectively to the prevention of violence, the protection and care of survivors, and the penalization of aggressors. It also involves the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating results at national and local levels.
The same organization wants laws, legislation and public policies to be accompanied by the promotion and establishment of the culture of equality and by eliminating stereotypes and prejudices through the media and education.
It calls for a commitment to the economic independence of women through employment and participation in economic activity and finally calls for the modification of the law establishing the Authority for parity and the fight against all forms of discrimination in order to provide powers of protection, prevention and promotion, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of all legislation and public policies, in accordance with constitutional requirements and the Paris principles.
Related News :