Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives at the Opening Session of the Conference Commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Honorable Ennam Mayara, Speaker of the House of Councilors and dear colleague,

Esteemed Madam President of the National Human Rights Council,

Esteemed Madam Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Women,

Distinguished Heads of the women's wings in national political parties,

Esteemed Madam Representative of UN-Women in Morocco,

Fellow parliamentarians,

Esteemed representatives of the media,

Esteemed audience,

I am pleased to take part in this conference commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which our country celebrates in the context of the activities that run until December 10, 2021. Yet, my happiness is tainted with sorrow as I notice, just like you, the persistence of this social phenomenon, which is not only a case of Morocco but a global phenomenon recorded by international reports in countries of the South as in those of the North.

While I commend this gathering organized by the House of Councilors, I would like to stress that we do not need to recall the numbers of battered women, the forms of violence against them, and their contexts, to weigh the serious harm of this scourge. Whatever the magnitude of the phenomenon and the number of victims, it is a serious violation of human rights and a serious breach of the law. Besides, it goes against the nature that must characterize the relations between members of society and contradicts the essence of humanism and human civilization.

If the diagnosis of this violence is necessary to monitor the phenomenon, then addressing its roots and causes remains crucial, bearing in mind that the mechanisms and entries for eradicating it are numerous and have legal, pedagogical, sociological, and cultural aspects.

We, in Morocco, are not exempt from the phenomenon. However, our country's good fortune is that the will to oppose it, honor women, achieve equality and parity, and strengthen women's presence in political, institutional, economic, cultural and diplomatic decision-making positions comes from His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. It is a determination translated into policies in which the country's political and civil forces and institutions are engaged.

Thanks to this Royal concern for women's rights and dignity, women's rights and protection have been at the core of the reforms that our country has launched since 20 years ago. We all recall the Royal eagerness to issue a new Family Code in 2004 and to put it under the legislative procedure after broad national consultations and calm national dialogue. This Code now includes liberal provisions, guarantees the rights of women and children, and ensures balance within the family. This action took place amidst a conservative regional context. Yet, it was a move that was and is still being considered by international organizations, Morocco's partners and those with whom it shares the values of democracy and human rights as a model for an advanced code.

The adoption of the Code has paved the way for a long process of profound reforms to guarantee women's rights and put an end to the physical, economic or symbolic violence they may be subjected to. The central element of the said reforms is the Kingdom's 2011 Constitution. The latter enables men and women to enjoy equally the political and civil rights it includes and the ones laid down in the international conventions and charters ratified by the Kingdom of Morocco. The Constitution also confirms the State's quest for gender equality and provides for establishing the Consultative Council for Family and Children.

The 2011 Constitution launched a legislative and institutional reform dynamic to ensure women's rights and, essentially, combat discrimination and violence against women. This dynamic was reflected by several actions, mainly the adoption of Law 103.13 on combating violence against women.

If violence against women, as any human being, is rejected and condemned by all laws, values, and standards, then taking care of girls and women who are victims of violence, doing them justice, and punishing this abhorrent practice is a decisive action to support those who are subjected to this kind of injustice that affects both their dignity and body.

Being aware of this responsibility, our country established institutions and units for the victims of violence, both girls and women, as a consistent public policy whose institutional distribution extends from the central and territorial institution of national security to courts. Furthermore, the actions of the said institutions are assisted and reinforced by the work of civil society bodies that play a role in vigilance, awareness-raising and orientation.

The Moroccan practice of endorsing, hearing, and guiding the victims of violence, carried out by the General Directorate for National Security, is an example of international practices praised by the United Nations bodies.

Honorable Speaker,

Ladies and gentlemen,

While we, in our country, have provided the constitutional, legislative, institutional, and logistical mechanisms for taking care of violence victims, the persistence of this phenomenon questions our conscience and certain conservative trends that underestimate and reconcile with it.

While laws are decisive and fundamental in addressing these practices that contradict the essence of humanity, the correction of many representations of the status of women in society requires greater cultural and civic mobilization, in society, in parties, in associations, and in media so that we succeed in isolating this phenomenon and its perpetrators. These actions should be taken in parallel with firm, decisive, and unreconciled deterrence of violence and the protection of victims and reporters of violence.

The Parliament is certainly at the heart of the institutions defending women and equality and equity given its legislative powers and its responsibility to improve laws and adapt them to the contexts and societal needs, its powers of control and addressing the phenomenon, and its constitutional position that gives it an additional symbolic pedagogical power.

Effective policies for women's economic empowerment and material independence are certainly a gate towards eradicating violence against women. Yet, the eradication also entails policies that facilitate the intensive presence of women in decision-making positions at the central and territorial levels as they form messages to society and represent recognition of women's creativity and ability to lead. Our ancient, modern and contemporary history featured proud moments that confirmed these capabilities.

If the question of women is at the heart of the reforms launched by our country under the leadership of His Majesty the King, may God assist him, whether the ones concerning health and social coverage, sustainable development, investment, or the ones that cover social and solidarity economy; and if women's participation is one of the levers of the New Development Model, education and training for girls will remain a key entrance to addressing the physical, symbolic, and economic violence against women. However, this does not negate the crucial role of communication, awareness-raising, and media in exposing the phenomenon and breaking the silence that might be cast on the abusive practices against the society's half.

Far from underestimating or amplifying the phenomenon, and given the complex nature of violence against women, working on the collective awareness and culture in parallel with deterrence, implementing the principle of non-impunity, and enforcing the law would create the build-up that should transform society's response to the phenomenon to eradicate it and achieve the UN goal of "building a future without violence against women."

In conclusion, I would like to commend this parliamentary involvement in this noble citizen action. I would also like to express my special thanks to my colleague, the Speaker of the House of Councilors, for his invitation and to you, ladies and gentlemen, for your keen listening.