Summary

Amina Lemrini, founding President of the Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM), describes Morocco in a period of transition since the 1990s, with great advancements in the political domain. Describes commission recommendations for institutional, political, judicial and pedagogical reforms to prevent human rights violations of the last 40 years as the first in the Arab and Muslim world.

ADFM addresses issues of economic insecurity, unemployment and rise of conservative forces. Describes positive reforms (concerning women’s rights) in recent years, with abolishment of guardianship and duty of obedience in Family Code, placing men and women on equal footing in the domain of family relationships, co-responsibility, destabilizing patriarchy, and primary mechanisms for excluding women. Describes criminalization of sexual harassment, amendment of laws relating to violence against women, current work on nationality laws. Describes political participation of women, parliamentary presence and ‘genderization’ of budget by the Minister of Finance, first time in an Arab country.

Describes negative forces, including democratic majority, which suggest that women already have all rights and have nothing more to demand. Describes confronting this issue through interpellation of political class, emphasizing that women’s movement for equality and dignity contributes to Rule of Law and democracy in the country, that democracy is dependent on relationships between men and women, and movement is indispensable for building democracy in Morocco. Describes organizational work on problems that can in themselves generate change, to ensure public policy constitutes equality as written in the constitution.

Discusses governmental mechanisms and strategies in place with resources and transversality of power, enabling cooperation between government and civil society, feminist organizations bringing views and proposals which feed and enrich public policy. Discusses education as primary concern (referring to impact of reform of Family Code with new specifications from Ministry of Education introducing principle of equality throughout curriculum).

Discusses language of feminism and use of terminology, expressing that perplexed by so-called Islamist Feminism. Describes opposition to work, with example of violent reaction from conservative forces on Family Code.

Runtime: [00:04:07]

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