In a recent article, Women’s eNews reported that King Mohammed VI of Morocco nullified his country’s reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The country had acceded to the Convention on 21 June 1993, but with reservations about three sections that were incompatible with Islamic Shariah law. One of Morocco’s reservations concerned Article 16’s spousal equality on entry into and dissolution of marriage, because Islamic Shariah “confers the right of divorce on a woman only by decision of a Shariah judge.” The King said these reservations were no longer necessary after Parliament passed his proposed reformed Family Code (the Moudawana) in 2004, which increased women’s rights overall. In particular, Book Two, Title Four of the Code is about rights and responsibilities in divorce. This announcement was part of the King’s speech celebrating the 60th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights, in which the King “formally banned” gender discrimination in his country.
For the full text of this article, please click here.
For Morocco’s reservations, please click here (scroll down at site and click on Morocco to see its declarations and reservations).
Compiled from:
Women’s eNews, Cheers and Jeers of the Week: Morocco Accepts CEDAW; U.S. Denies Women Asylum (13 December 2008).
Jacinto, Leela, Women’s eNews: Moroccan Women's Rights Wear Royal Robes (17 June 2007).
United Nations, Treaty Collection, Status of Treaties: CEDAW (last updated 16 December 2008) (scroll down at site and click on Morocco to see its declarations and reservations).