Rights group urges probe into alleged abuses against migrant children in Nador

The Nador branch of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights has called, in a letter addressed to the public prosecutor at the Nador Court of Appeal, for an investigation into what it described as «violations» affecting migrant children and minors in the province, warning about the seriousness of the practices allegedly targeting this vulnerable group.

In a statement, the branch said it had observed in recent months the continued targeting of children, minors and young people attempting to migrate, including pursuits, arrests and detention inside administrative premises before «being transported late at night by bus to distant cities such as Casablanca and Beni Mellal, without clear legal procedures or adequate judicial safeguards».

The rights group said it had documented cases suggesting that some of those concerned had been subjected to «physical violence or cruel and degrading treatment», in addition to minors allegedly being held in facilities not legally designated for that purpose, «without activating the protection mechanisms provided for under national legislation or involving the competent judicial authorities».

According to the association, these practices raise serious human rights and legal concerns, both regarding their compliance with Morocco’s international obligations, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and their consistency with constitutional guarantees protecting personal liberty and prohibiting arbitrary detention.