The 2004 Moudawana: Studying the Impact of Legal Reform on Women’s Access to Justice in Morocco Open Access

Abstract

In January of 2004, the Moroccan parliament passed important reforms to Morocco’s family code, the Moudawana. The 2004 reforms raised the minimum age of marriage for women from fifteen to eighteen, introduced divorce by mutual consent, and annulled the wife’s duty of obedience to her husband, in addition to a myriad of other progressive changes. This study evaluates the efficacy of the reforms by examining three mechanisms through which laws can subordinate women: unjust and discriminatory laws, ignorance of the law by women, and prejudicial enforcement of the law. Data has been collected from personal interviews with scholars, lawyers, and activists in Morocco, library research, published reports, and newspapers. This study finds that Moroccan women face barriers to accessing justice and obtaining equality, as a result of discriminatory laws in the Moudawana, widespread legal illiteracy, and the prejudicial enforcement of the reforms. After examining each of the three mechanisms and their role in Moroccan society and gender relations, this thesis concludes that prejudicial enforcement of the law is the most serious barrier to women’s equality in Morocco.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 

Chapter One………………………………………………………………………………...……..1

            Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..……1

            Methodology………………………………………………………………………………4

Chapter Two: Laws, Legal Literacy, and Prejudicial Enforcement……………………………….7

            Family Law and Gender Equality in Global Perspectives………………………….……..7

            The Law and Women’s Subordination…………………………………………………....8

            Legal Literacy and Legal Empowerment………………………………………………...16

            Prejudicial Application of the Law and Economic Barriers to Justice…………………..27

            Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….30

Chapter Three: The Law in Morocco…………………………………………………………….31 

            Overview…………………………………………………………………………………31

            History of the Moudawana………………………………………………………………32

            The 2004 Moudawana Reforms………………………………………………………….48

            Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….56

Chapter Four: Women’s Legal Empowerment in Morocco……………………………………..57 

            Overview…………………………………………………………………………………57

            Knowledge of the 2004 Reforms………………………………………………………...57

            Barriers to Legal Literacy in Morocco…………………………………………………...60

            Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….64

Chapter Five: The Prejudicial Enforcement of the Law………………………………................65

            Overview…………………………………………………………………………………65

            The Moroccan Judiciary…………………………………………………………………65

            Prejudicial Enforcement………………………………………………………………….73

            Conclusion………………………………………………………………….……………79

Chapter Six: Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………80 

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..88

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Women's Studies Middle Eastern Studies Law
Keyword	women's rights law
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Carrie Wickham, Emory University
Committee Members	Alexander Bolton, Emory University Sam Cherribi, Emory University

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