Morocco’s King calls on government to review family code

King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, has launched the process of reforming the Family Code to keep pace with the changes taking place in the country and Moroccan society wherein tradition and modernity go hand in hand.

In a Letter addressed to Head of Govt., the Monarch sets a six-month deadline for submitting the proposed amendments before the government outlines a draft bill and submits it to the Parliament for approval.

A statement issued Tuesday by the Royal Office says the Royal Letter comes following the decision announced by the King in his Throne Day Speech of 2022 and shows the great importance the Monarch gives to the promotion of women’s issues and the family in general.

The preparation of this important inclusive reform has been entrusted to the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power, and the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office due to the legal and judicial dimensions of this undertaking.

In his Letter, the King called on the above-mentioned institutions to involve in this reform other bodies directly concerned by this issue, especially the Higher Council of the Ulema, the National Human Rights Council, the Government Authority in charge of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, while also opening up to civil society bodies and stakeholders, researchers, and specialists.

The proposed amendments emerging from these broad participatory consultations will be submitted to the King, Commander of the Faithful, the guarantor of citizens’ rights and freedoms, for approval within a maximum period of six months, before the government drafts the relevant bill and submits it to parliament for adoption, says the Royal statement.