Amid discussions about family-law code amendment in Morocco, Spanish Twitter users have circulated claims alleging that Morocco allows child marriage. The users also posted an image of young girls in white dresses paired with older men in black suits.
The tweets got thousands of views and interactions. “Morocco legalizes marriage between men and young girls. The minister, Mustapha Ramid, justified that marriages between men and minors is for girls’ good. Open your eyes. That is why cases of pedophilia are being seen. He wants to legalize it,” a Twitter user wrote.
“Progressivism seeks to replace Christianity with Islam, a satanic religion that promotes pedophilia,” another user wrote in Spanish.
The Image Was Not Taken In Morocco
Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be fake. The image is old and was taken in Gaza, Palestine, in April 2012. The photo was taken during Palestinian celebrations of a mass wedding organized by the Al Tayseer association for marriage. “Around 60 young Palestinians participated in the wedding,” according to the photo caption.
In many cultures, young girls and boys participate in accompanying the bride or the groom. The caption does not confirm that the young girls were married to the men.
Later, Spanish websites shared the claim with the same picture.
Photo description: This article was automatically translated using Google tools.
Morocco Does Not Allow Child Marriage
Along the same lines, Moroccan legislation in Article 19 related to child marriage changed earlier in 2004, when the legal age for marriage was raised from fifteen to eighteen years old.
“Men and women acquire the capacity to marry when they are of sound mind and have completed eighteen full Gregorian years of age,” the Article reads.
Photo description: Article 19 of the Moroccan family-law code.
This change was part of larger reforms that introduced unprecedented rights for Moroccan women. However, the reform later proved generally ineffective concerning child marriage.
According to the Morocco World News website, the child marriage rate in Morocco has been gradually increasing as data from the Moroccan Ministry of Justice and Liberties show that the proportion of marriages involving a minor has increased, from 7% in 2004 to 11.5% in 2013.
For many activists and law experts, this ambiguity is due to Article 20, which gives discretionary power to judges to grant an exception to the rule. The judge has then to substantiate their decision by explaining the interest and reasons justifying the marriage authorization.
“The Family Affairs Judge in charge of marriage may authorize the marriage of a girl or boy below the legal age of marriage as stipulated in preceding Article 19, in a well-substantiated decision explaining the interest and reasons justifying the marriage, after having heard the parents of the minor who has not yet reached the age of capacity or his/her legal tutor, with the assistance of medical expertise or after having conducted a social enquiry,” the Article 20 reads.
Photo description: A screenshot of the Article 20 of the Moroccan family-law code.
While the roots of child marriage vary across cultures and regions suffering from the lack of economic opportunities and limited access to health care and education, Morocco did not legalize child marriage.
It is also worth mentioning that Morocco is currently having a crucial debate about another amendment to the family-law code after the country witnessed radical social changes over the last few years.
Misbar’s Sources
