Morocco Proposes Family Law Reforms to Enhance Women’s Rights

Morocco is set to reform its family law for the first time in 20 years, aiming to improve women’s rights regarding child custody, guardianship, and polygamous marriage, Arab News reported.

The proposed draft code includes over 100 amendments designed to bolster women’s legal standing within the family structure.

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi announced that the reforms would allow women to explicitly oppose polygamy in marriage contracts. Without such stipulations, a husband may take a second wife under specific conditions, such as the first wife’s infertility. The amendments also seek to simplify divorce processes, recognize child custody as a shared right, and grant either spouse the right to retain the marital home after the other’s death.

Additionally, divorced women will retain custody of children upon remarriage, and the legal marriage age will remain at 18, with exceptions for underage marriage limited to 17 years. While the Islamic inheritance rule remains unchanged, allowing men to inherit twice as much as women, the new code permits individuals to bequeath assets to female heirs.

King Mohammed VI emphasized that the reforms should align with principles of justice and equality while respecting Islamic values. The amended code awaits parliamentary approval.