In the last few years Morocco has taken the lead amongst the Islamic countries in promoting gender equity and the rights of women. Recognition for the nation's positive steps has come from around the world and this week was highlighted in Geneva.
On Wednesday the Moroccan ambassador and Permanent Representative in the UN office in Geneva described the set of women-friendly measures adopted by Morocco to enhance women's situation. Speaking during a debate on "Violence against women: its Causes and Consequences" at the 2nd session of The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Mohamed Loulichki, noted that Morocco has adopted a set of women-friendly measures to annihilate all forms of violence against women.
The Government has adopted a specific plan, launched crisis centers for beaten women in all courts, criminalized sexual harassment and endorsed a new family code, he said, adding that eliminating violence against women, securing their participation in all public activities and reinforcing their power will help eradicate previous problems and discrimination.
Much still remains to be done, including questions of literacy rates and the fact that some Moroccan employers still treat young women as lowly paid workers. Recently The View from Fez came across a typical situation where a very talented young woman was being paid for general duties plus translation work at the rate of thirty dirhams a day. This is less than half of what most people pay female workers for unskilled work.
Literacy is important as without it many rural women have no means of reading about their rights. Yet despite this, Morocco is far ahead of many other countries in the region.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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