French National Assembly: Delegation of the House of Representatives Presents Major Reforms of the Kingdom of Morocco

A delegation of the House of Representatives held talks, on Tuesday, December 06, 2022, at the seat of the French National Assembly, with the Parliamentary Group in charge of Women’s Rights and Gender Equality at the Lower House of the French Parliament.

Before around 20 members of this Group that is formed of the various political parties at the French National Assembly, the members of the Moroccan parliamentary delegation highlighted the significant reforms adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco during the last twenty years to grant women justice, achieve gender equality, guarantee household stability, and empower women in terms of economy and the mechanisms that would enable them to reach decision-making positions within elected representative institutions.

The delegation of the House of Representatives, visiting the French National Assembly as part of the Institutional Twinning Program that links the Moroccan House of Representatives, the Assembly, the Czech Chamber of Deputies, and the Belgian House of Representatives, and supported by the European Union, includes the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rep. Nadia Touhami (Group of Progress and Socialism); the Clerk of the House, Rep. Ilham Saki (Group of Authenticity and Modernity); Rep. Idriss Chraibi (Group of the National Rally of Independents); Rep. Seloua Demnati (Socialist Group); Rep. Zineb Amahrouk (Haraki Group); and Rep. Hakima S’haki (Constitutional, Democratic, and Social Group).

During their talks with the members of the Parliamentary Group in charge of Women’s Rights, led by MP. Véronique Riotton (Party of the Rennaissance), the party with the ruling majority, the members of the Moroccan parliamentary delegation devoted around two hours to give an overview of the structural reforms adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to preserve women’s rights, in addition to the laws and institutional mechanisms implemented in this respect.

On the same occasion, the delegation members shed light on the adoption of the 2004 Family Code, noting the participatory and consensual approach it featured, and its adoption by unanimity of votes by the Parliament. In the same regard, they underscored the household balance the Code guarantees and the joint responsibility of women and men in managing households. The Moroccan Representatives added that the Code was a legislative first in the Arab and Islamic world, commending in the meantime the call of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to reform some of the Code's articles during his speech on the 2022 Throne Day.

On the same note, the members of the Moroccan delegation highlighted the rights guaranteed by the Moroccan Constitution, including the rights of women and children, as well as the institutions whose establishment it enacts. The Representatives also shed light on the related laws, including the law on combatting violence against women, the law on combatting human trafficking, and the law on domestic workers. Besides, they recalled the measures in force regarding the provision of care for women victims of violence, their accompaniment, and the creation of a National Commission for this purpose, lauding at the same time the role of civil society in combatting violence against women, raising awareness about its dangers, and accompanying its victims. Additionally, they stressed the vital importance of the National Human Development Initiative launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2005 in including women and facilitating girls' schooling.

Later, the members of the Moroccan parliamentary delegation noted the role of the House of Representatives in monitoring the implementation of several laws related to women's rights and the relevant parliamentary legislative initiatives, mainly through the creation of a Thematic Group to evaluate the implementation of Law 103-13 on combatting violence against women, as part of the House’s public policy evaluation competence.

On another note, they tackled adopting the national list mechanism and regional lists in the elections of the members of the House of Representatives to reinforce women's access to the position of legislative decision-making (the Parliament). Besides, they noted the role of the electoral codes of communes in enabling women to access the councils of local, territorial, and regional communes.

For her part, the Chairperson and members of the French Parliamentary Group in charge of Women's rights and Gender Equality commended the reforms of the Kingdom of Morocco for guaranteeing women's rights as part of the Constitutional and institutional reforms adopted by the Kingdom. In the same regard, they stressed the necessity to pursue dialogue and exchange between the National Assembly and the House of Representatives on the matter.

Moreover, the Group's Chairperson noted that the Kingdom of Morocco follows a voluntary policy in gender budgeting to ensure women's economic empowerment. For their part, the Group's members lauded the provisions of the Moroccan Constitution regarding human rights, including women's rights, and the legal arsenal in force for this purpose.

In order to ensure the sustainability of dialogue between the two parties on women's questions, they discussed the possibility of creating a Forum for parliamentary dialogue between the members of the two legislative institutions as they affirmed their determination to pursue talks as part of the dialogue between legislators of both countries.

The members of the Moroccan delegation had before held talks with the interim Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie and member of the French National Assembly, MP. Bruno Fuchs, who commended the reforms of the Kingdom of Morocco and stressed the importance of the dynamics it witnesses in various areas. The French parliamentarian also praised the role of Moroccan society in several areas, especially in women’s economic empowerment, and the role of the House of Representatives within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, particularly through hosting several of its institutional meetings.