Minister of Justice announced from Skhirate the Moroccan Kingdom’s engagement to prepare an international conference about sharing of world experiences on underage marriage

Minister of Justice, Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi has stated that despite a noticeable progress made about advancing women rights and protection, many challenges continue to be raised concerning mixed marriage, which makes of a child be subject of a lots of psychological, social and economic problems in addition to legal obstacles; the fact which has negative impacts on his best interest and his life in general. Also, underage marriages have overlapping consequences at the cultural, social and economic levels and therefore require deployed efforts by all Arab countries to face this phenomenon.

In this context, Minister Ouahbi has stated in his opening allocution before participating delegation in the 51st ordinary session of the Arab permanent human rights committee, held on Monday, February 20, 2023 at the conference hall in Skhirate, “As long as we welcome the proposal for preparing a high-level international conference about reinforcing cultural diversity and safeguarding of family and marriage institution, we feel stronger to endorse a specific Arab agreement to protect women’s rights and best interest of the child, hoping that all the area’s countries should respond positively with our proposals. We would like also to announce that we are engaged on preparing an international conference to focus on sharing world’s experiences regarding underage marriage.”

Minister Ouahbi has considered that the many gains accumulated by the human rights permanent Arab committee represent a framework reference to all countries members for human rights policy and for the Arab charter for human rights whose adoption by Morocco is in good process of accomplishment.

Minister Ouahbi has on the other side, praised the principles project of Arab strategy for human rights “considered as a methodic framework to Arab countries mechanisms to protect an advance human rights; stressing Morocco’s full readiness to actively cooperate in sharing national action plan in the field of democracy and human rights.”

Minister Ouahbi has congratulated the committee for endorsing Arab action plan for education and culture in the field to human rights which our country has had the honor to propose it and prepare its primary project. Minister Ouahbi added in this regard “we are looking forwards to accelerating the official announcement to launch Arab plan for education and culture in the human rights filed and we’d like to reaffirm to you the Moroccan Kingdom’s readiness to host the events ceremony.”

Minister Ouahbi has informed attendees on the Moroccan Kingdom’s readiness to prepare measures and standards related to grant the status of observer to human rights national institutions at the Arab permanent committee for human rights, hoping to be accredited by your committee in this session to help open new channels of cooperation among various national bodies in upcoming sessions.”

Minister Ouahbi has underlined the importance of deploying cooperation and solidarity efforts, partnerships and coordination among all countries and contribute to deepen world debate about human rights and to achieve sustainable development, stating that “public dialogue and thinking would allow the participation of all components not only at the level of Arab League various bodies in charge of human rights but also at the level of governments, parliaments, national institutions, civil society NGOs, religious leaders, experts and academics to enrich cultural diversity.”