House of Representatives and Westminster Foundation for Democracy Organize Forum on “Women’s Representation in Parliaments”
The seat of the House of Representatives hosted on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in Rabat, a Forum for women parliamentarians on "Women's Representation in Parliaments: Practices and Prospects." The Forum was chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Khadija Zoumi, in the presence of H.E. Nell Stewart, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Morocco, and other national and international experts, as well as women representatives from the parliamentary groups and caucus.
Rep. Khadija Zoumi inaugurated the Forum with an address where she raised the central question of women's empowerment at the parliamentary and political level, which cannot happen without “equality with men, which would result in the presence of women in political decision-making positions.”
In her address, Rep. Zoumi recalled the reforms that Morocco has witnessed to bring women justice and constitutionalize their rights through Article 19, which was a coronation of a process of accumulated reforms.” The Deputy Speaker of the House gave an example of the case of the House of Representatives in 2002, as that year featured the increase of women parliamentarians from 5 to 35 thanks to the inclusion of the national women’s list. Rep. Zoumi added that the number of women representatives is today 95 out of 395, meaning 24%.
The Deputy Speaker also tackled the adoption of the Family Code in 2004, saying, "the Family Code that our country adopted in 2004 thanks to the wisdom of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, who ensured that the Parliament issued this Code. At the time, this bold reform was unique in the region because it enshrined the concept of co-responsibility between women and men in managing the family." The Speech of His Majesty on 2022 Throne Day affirmed this as he noted that women in today's Morocco cannot be deprived of their rights.
In the meantime, Rep. Zoumi noted that "laws are not enough, and that society should grasp the culture of equality and change its representation of women, which would not be possible without investment in education and putting the women's cause at the heart of any social practice.
For her part, the Ambassador of Canada in Rabat, H.E. Nell Stewart, considered that the path towards achieving equality for women is still a long one. In the same respect, she noted that women's participation in political life is essential at all political, economic, and social levels and contributes to the prosperity of families.
The Ambassador seized the opportunity also to commend the last Throne Day speech and its positive notes on women's cause, noting that her country praised the speech.
H.E. Nell Stewart concluded her statement by noting that Canada has launched a campaign to help women reach decision-making positions.
The meeting also featured a debate between speakers and experts. During the discussion, the Chairperson of the Women and Equalities Committee at the British House of Commons, MP. Caroline Nokes presented the experience of her country concerning equality. In this respect, she noted that Morocco has made outstanding strides and moved forward since her last visit 25 years ago. However, she added, "we have made great strides, but we still have a lot to work on. In Britain, which is described as the mother of democracies, we still witness many atrocities that hinder democracy and have not yet achieved full equality. Women's representation in political life in Britain indeed took place a century ago, but any suspension of the quota system would destroy these achievements."
Following that, Mr. Mohammed El Ghali, a professor and expert in public policies, governance, and territorial development, gave a brief presentation on the evolution of women's representation in Morocco throughout several communal and legislative elections. After that, Mr. Ahmed Moufid, the Head of the Parliamentary Center for Research and Studies at the House of Representatives, gave a presentation that included some proposals on the inclusion of a gender-sensitive budget in the new Finance Bill to redress the current imbalances.
Besides, Mr. Abdelouahab Rami, a university professor at the Higher Institute for Media and Communication, tackled the importance of media and social networks in consolidating women’s representation in parliaments.
The Forum also featured talks by women representatives who presented their individual experiences. In the end, the participants agreed on several recommendations that must be implemented to entrench the achievements and make further strides towards achieving equality.