On the sidelines of the 60th session of the Committee on the Status of Women held in New York, the working group “Gender Approach and New Generation” of the Council of the Moroccan community abroad (CCME) and Jossour Forum of Moroccan women (Jossour FFM) jointly organized a conference on the theme “No peace without sustainable development: the case of Moroccan women from « here and elsewhere.” The Constitutional Institution and NGOs have opted for a partnership to discuss the experience of Moroccan women of the world, in terms of the fragile rights obtained and the challenges which stil have to be raised.
Amina Ennceiri, Member of the CCME in France and working group Chair “Gender Approach and New Generations” focused her intervention on the rights of Moroccan migrant women worldwide. She recalled that the Moroccan female migration in the world, around 47% of a total of 4 million, is active and not passive as in the 60 Moroccan women of the world face the same challenges that the Moroccan Morocco, as have revealed the working group studies, but with sometimes inextricable legal complications due to conflict of laws. Divorce cases, child custody, parental authority, kafala, inheritance, dual nationality, widowhood, nationality or enforcement may become the daily ordeal of women and their entire family.
The implementation of the Family Code abroad is difficult because of conflicts of laws: the kafala hardly be recognized, adoption is forbidden in Islamic law. Most of the migrants’ 60s are old, sick and economically useless they seem to be serious about their meager pensions and end of life. Thousands of seasonal who go pick strawberries will feel happy to work, even for a season, but their legal and social protection is also seasonal … Unaccompanied minors have been many, and still are from in Europe, though some return, others are not and we do not know very little about their situation and their future.
Women in Africa and the Arab countries live alarming situations in terms of fundamental rights relating to their status of women, the system of kafala and prejudices that affect the image of all Moroccans. Ms. Ennceiri also pointed to the gap between the speeches, laws and reality. The Constitution calls through four articles, the Moroccans to participate in major projects in the country and governance institutions. But the establishment of consultative institutions is always done without the participation of Moroccans in the world. It raises the question of the treatment of Moroccan migrant women issues without effective representation of these, for example, the Council of the Authority for parity and fight against all forms of discrimination or the Advisory Council family and childhood. Amina Ennceiri has also called on the public policies to adopt a migrant approach to overcome these problems and more participatory democracy. She announced that a study of the working group is going to conduct a deep reflection on the persistent dysfunction and issues of exclusion, even partial, of the Moroccans of the world of public policy.
Mrs Omayma Achour, President of Jossour, presented the achievements of Moroccan women in the law and the challenges that remain to be lifted in education, equality, autonomy, discrimination and the fight against violence Women’s. The achievements remain fragile and must be preserved she said. It also called for “effectiveness” of the Constitution, the harmonization of the Moroccan legislative framework with international conventions ratified and the urgency to implement the law against violence. She particularly stressed the need to raise the cases of violence against children who become double victims, such as cases of mothers’ children to body. ” She concluded by reminding the many important sites of Morocco which women should take part and benefit. She particularly stressed that for renewable energy up the Kingdom first in the world and that of climate change initiatives making it a regional leader. As women are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change.
Ms. Rhizlane Benachir, Vice President of Jossour FFM, for his part, presented the role of the association in the women’s movement for women’s rights, the establishment of institutional mechanisms that apply to Moroccan women “here and elsewhere “, such as the family Code and constitutional advances made in particular through Article 19. She regretted that the recommendations of civil society were ignored in the Council legislation for parity and equality and the fight against all forms of discrimination, text to which NGOs were not involved in drafting. She concluded by warning about the situation of women and Syrian and sub-Saharan African children living in total insecurity, vulnerability and insecurity and require emergency help and support from the government, as well as setting instead asylum under the Geneva Convention signed by Morocco.
Ms. Souad Talsi, member of the CCME in the UK is, acted as Founder and Secretary General of Al Hasanya. She indicated that the CSW 59 (2015) and the CSW 60 failed in their agenda on migrant women who are millions in the world. She presented the situation of Moroccan and Arab women from Britain who live in situations of inequality and discrimination in public services dedicated minority to which they belong. She said, however, that they are luckier compared to the thousands of Moroccans “men and women”, sequestered for over 40 years in the Tindouf camps. Ms. Talsi, on the basis of international relations, questioned the silence of the Secretary General of the United Nations when the inhuman plight of those women who are unable to access the most basic and the most basic rights and defend themselves against the violence they suffer daily.
Ms. Mina Rhouch, Member of CCME in Spain, made an intervention under the EMMIC Foundation, International Medical Centre for foreign migrants (Seville). She called for the inclusion of migrant women needs in health and alerted the legislative boundaries created by the economic crisis that block access to health care for migrants in an irregular situation. She stressed the difficulties of the seasonal female workers in remote areas and on issues of domestic women in terms of rights. Ms. Rhouch called for the revision of bilateral agreements on social protection and mobilization of trade unions for the protection of rights of domestics who are mostly migrants.
Several other international interveners actively participated in the conference, including Assiata Toure President of the National Bureau of RPM Mali, Hibaq Osman Founder and Executive Director of the Network of Arab Women Karama and Dasa Silovic, UNECE International Office Chair for gender issues .
The participants agreed that issues relating to women’s rights in general, and rights of migrant women in particular are many and expectations are very high both in Morocco, the Arab countries, in Africa or in Europe.
