HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
An attempt to marry a 14-year-old girl through what is known as "Fatiha marriage" in a region of Kenitra province has sparked a wave of condemnation on social media, after a call was circulated warning against her being married to an older man.
The Network of the Association Injdaad Against Gender Violence, under the Federation of Women's Rights Associations, reacted to the incident by submitting formal complaints to the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Kenitra, the head of the Public Prosecution, and the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation in Rabat, considering the incident "a blatant attack on the rights of the child" and evidence of the continuation of practices that expose minors to early violence and deprivation of education. The network demanded that the competent authorities open an urgent investigation and take legal measures to prevent the completion of this illegal marriage, and to ensure the protection of the girl and her empowerment of her constitutional rights. This incident comes in the context of the ongoing debate about the marriage of minors in Morocco, where the High Council of the Judicial Authority recorded a total of 16,755 applications for marriage under the age of eligibility in 2024, a decrease of 17 percent compared to 2023, with the acceptance rate remaining at 63 percent.
