Government seeks delay in Family Code committee debate

The anticipated debate on the reform of Morocco's Family Code, initially set for January 7, 2025, in the presence of the Ministers of Justice and Habous and Islamic Affairs, has been postponed. Said Baaziz, Chairman of the House of Representatives' Justice, Legislation and Human Rights Committee, announced the delay, attributing it to a government request, though he provided no further details.

Originally, the meeting was intended to delve into 16 key amendments. Outside the parliamentary chamber, discussions centered on issues such as the best interests of children, DNA testing for establishing parentage of children born out of wedlock, and inheritance laws. Civil society organizations had approached Said Baaziz beforehand, eager to engage MPs on these pressing topics.

The Moroccan Orphan Association (AMO) has highlighted the urgency of these issues in an open letter. The association recalled its 2023 memorandum advocating for the child's best interests, aligning with the 2011 Constitution and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. «We were anticipating bold recommendations to correct injustices and refocus legislative priorities on children's welfare. It is disheartening to witness the dismissal of DNA testing under dubious pretexts, seemingly intended to deny children a fundamental right», the letter states.

The AMO criticized the Moudawana Reform Commission's proposals for overlooking the diverse circumstances of children born out of wedlock and reducing the issue to a mere debate over DNA testing, which the commission opposes. The association urged the parliamentary committee to expand its discussions and adopt a participatory approach. It called for «listening sessions in reception centers for representative groups of these ‘categories’ of children, as well as the associative actors who care for them.»