Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
September 23 , 2006

US, Canada-based Moroccan students to organise solidarity projects in Morocco. 
By Kaoutar Tbatou. 9/19/2006

A number of Moroccan students in the United States and Canada have decided to join their efforts and set up the Moroccan World Foundation, with the aim of launching solidarity projects in Morocco.The Moroccan World Foundation (MWF) brings together some 300 Moroccan students in the US and Canada. Ph. MWF.

The Foundation's first project will be implemented by the end of the sacred month of Ramadan. The project, labeled Aid Al Fitr Solidarity, will provide gifts and new clothing for some 500 hospitalised and poor children the pediatric hospitals of both Rabat and Casablanca.

Initiated by one of the Foundation's major branches, made up of the members of the Moroccan Students Association of the University of Central Oklahoma, the project will benefit from the support of the Foundation's other branches, which currently include some 300 students.

The solidarity action will be organised in cooperation with the Rabat-based Sourire d'Espoir Association (Smile of Hope Association), an NGO acting for the sake of children suffering from poverty, health problems, and lack of education. Through a series of fund-raising activities and information campaigns, the branches will try to collect the targeted USD 7,000 (making an average of MAD 100 for each benefiting child.)

Future projects
The Foundation (mwfsli@gmail.com) is planning to organise a summer “Leadership Institute” next year in Morocco. The event will last five days, during which financially disadvantaged children will attend a series of workshops and courses on leadership. The days will also include entertainment activities, to help children spend enjoyable moments while learning profitable skills. “During the leadership Institute, we'll be all together like a family in the same house. The house will be like a school but also like a camping space,” one of the foundation's members told Morocco Times. http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17119
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Study day on environment protection in rural schools to be held next Monday.
9/21/2006

"The National Programme of Environmental Upgrading of Rural Schools" is the theme of a meeting that will be held next Monday in Rabat. The event will be organised by the ministry of Territorial Management, Water and Environment and the ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Vocational Training and Scientific Research.

The programme, which will be launched in favour of some 2 million school children, aims to improve the environment and the framework of life within rural schools by the installation of basic infrastructures in 12,180 schools, and to integrate education on the concept of sustainable development in all rural schools (17,500 schools), MAP news agency reported.

The programme will have positive impacts, particularly the creation of a salubrious and adequate framework for school children, the reduction of medical risks, the contribution to the improvement of school performance, the increase in the rate of schooling especially for girls, as well as making school children aware of the principles of environmental protection.

It will cost approximately MAD 1 billion. This will be provided by the budget of the State, programmes and governmental projects, public organisations, local communities, the participation of the private sector as well as non-governmental organisations (ONG).
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=17155
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco takes part in White House conference on global literacy.
9/19/2006

Morocco has taken part in the first conference of the White House on the elimination of illiteracy in the world, which opened on Monday in New York. The Secretary of State in charge of the elimination of illiteracy and informal education, Anis Birou, representing Morocco in the event, intends to draw the attention of those in charge of stemming illiteracy in the whole world to Morocco's successful experience in this respect, said a communiqué of the Secretariat.

Birou also seized this opportunity to reiterate Morocco's determination to boost literacy, which remains a genuine means of change and support to social progress. Morocco is determined to reduce the rate of illiteracy to less than 20% by 2010, on the prospect of totally eradicating this phenomenon by 2015.

A recent report shows the remarkable results obtained during these four last years (2002-2006). Two million people have benefited from the literacy programme set up by the government, stressed the communiqué. UNESCO has granted the Kingdom the Confucius 2006 prize for its programme of informal education, a national innovative initiative for the elimination of illiteracy specifically intended for marginalised teenagers living in rural zones.

The Conference will present panels and informal discussion to provide practical information about successful programmes that promote literacy as a catalyst to advance social and economic participation, human development and poverty reduction. The main three conference themes are: Mother-Child Literacy and Intergenerational Learning; Literacy for Health; Literacy for Economic Self-Sufficiency.

According to UNESCO, more than 771 million adults around the globe cannot read and approximately 100 million children do not attend school; 85% of them live in just 35 countries, which are concentrated in regions affected by the highest poverty; and more than two-thirds of those without adequate literacy skills are women.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17109
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: 6.6% of Moroccans over 20 suffer from Diabetes.

A total of 6.6% of the population over 20 suffer from Diabetes, which has become a “true epidemic in Morocco,” said Saturday Health Minister Mohamed Sheikh Biadillah. Chairing the opening ceremony of the first day of diabetic Endocrinology in Ibn Sina Hospital (Rabat), Biadillah stressed that half of these people do not know that they are diabetics.  He added that several factors can be at the origin of this disease, including the way of life and the unbalanced diet.

The minister thus stressed the importance of focusing efforts on the prevention of the diabetes, through awareness-raising campaigns to help people adopt healthy ways of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=17080
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer awareness campaign against AIDS benefits thousands of Moroccans.
9/8/2006

The Ministry of Health is growing increasingly aware of the importance of communication to avoid the spread of communicable diseases. A Summer Awareness Campaign was organised during July and August to raise people's awareness of AIDS and the way to prevent it. The campaign targeted the visitors of a number of festivals, moussems, and beaches, who, during vacations and travels, generally become less cautious about health risks. More than 15 associations mobilized 250 of their members who organised awareness caravans in different regions of the kingdom during the summer campaign.

They provided information and advice to some 26,000 people who were present in the Festivals of Timitar (Agadir), the Festival of Casablanca, and the festivals of Settat, Saidia and Tangier. The caravans also received some 73,000 visitors in the moussems of Moulay Abdellah and Sidi Bibi (Agadir), and another 29,000 on the beaches of Taghazout, Agadir, Sidi Bouzid, Tangier, Martil and Moulay Bouselham. Association members who participated in the campaign said that, during vacations, people were more receptive to their advice and information on the necessity to make occasional blood check and to use prevention methods.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of people infected with VIH ranged from 16,000 to 20,000 in 2005. The same statistics reveal that these infected people can be the origin of 2,000 to 2,500 new infections each year.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=16953
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Illiterate women become poetesses.   
By Oumnia Guedda.   8/9/2006

After the first collection of poems ‘Aswat Chabba Khalfa al Kodbane' (Young Voices Behind the Bars) by the detainees of Casablanca's Oukacha prison, the Shahrazade Cercle Association renews the experience. Always concerned to give voice to minorities and allow them to give vent to their emotions through writing, the association intends to publish by the end of this year a new collection of poems written by previously illiterate women.

The women, having following alphabetization courses thanks to the association, wrote about love, sadness and childhood memories. For four years now, the Shahrazade Cercle has been organizing writing workshops for illiterate women. According to the president of the association, Latifa Liraqui, the collection is the fruit of the first group's efforts. It includes 50 written works, mainly poems, some testimonies and film reviews by 15 women of different ages and social classes. “We have a very heterogeneous group: housewives, grand-mothers, maids and even more advantaged women,” she said, adding that illiteracy is not limited to disadvantaged people.

“All the texts are ready. Some Moroccan artists have participated with their paintings to illustrate the collection,” declared Liraqui. According to the president of the association, the results of the workshops, as far as the learning process and the humanitarian side are concerned, are “extraordinary”.

Those who benefited from the courses affirmed that thanks to them, they gained a confidence they had never felt before. “My life has completely changed since I followed these courses,” affirmed Zoubida Al Hannane, one of the authors of the collection. Aged 34, Al Hannane started her learning at the age of 25. Thanks to these courses, she is feeling “more mature”.

She considered all the years of her illiteracy as “a wasted time”. Now that she can read, she said that “it's impossible for her to spend a day without reading something.” “The ability to read gives me an immense satisfaction,” said Al Hannane, adding that writing allows her to pour out her heart.

The same feeling was experienced by the Oukacha detainees who were allowed to express themselves in the first collection published by the Sheharazade Cercle. Their texts evoked many themes, including the mother, freedom, homeland and sufferings. For the detainees, the experience was a moment of escape, as one of the authors said “it is magic. I felt myself transported beyond the prison's walls.”
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=16472
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disadvantaged pupils benefit from school kits.  
9/12/2006

Some 600 children have benefited from the “Opération Cartable” (Satchel Operation), a yearly programme launched by the association “Sourire d'Espoir” (Smile of Hope) to provide disadvantaged kids with school supplies. This year, the operation, which is scheduled with the beginning of the new academic year, targeted first and second year pupils of the primary schools of two suburbs of Rabat: Douar Oulad Akreuch and Douar Sidi Yahya Zair.

The choice of the two villages was not fortuitous. Oulad Akreuch is situated near the region's biggest rubbish dump. Its inhabitants have very poor living conditions and, for the majority of them, the only bread earning means is to pick recyclable items from the dumps and sell them.
As for Sidi Yahya Zair, the association's intervention there came as a response to a call from the Douar's primary school. The village's inhabitants are either simple farmers or unemployed. After visiting the concerned schools and identifying the pupils' needs, the association launched a series of fund-raising activities to collect a targeted MAD 60,000.

The association will also try to finance the improvement of the facilities of Sidi Yahya Zair ‘s school which lacks even bathrooms. “Our aim is to encourage students to go to school, and therefore reduce illiteracy among them,” said Mourad Zerkaoui, president of the association. To collect funds, the association uses direct communication or diffuses information on its activities and needs through flyers, emails, and its website www.souriredespoir.org/.

Other activities to give children a smile of hope
The Sourire d'Espoir Association is active all over the year to help children having both financial and health difficulties. Every weekend, the association organises educative and entertaining activities in the Pediatric Hospitals of Rabat and Casablanca. The activities include drawing, colouring, games and contests, cartoons, etc. Parties are scheduled once a month, featuring clowns performances, music, and sketches.

The association also makes periodic inspections in the two hospitals to identify the cases of needy children and help them with medication. Since June 2005, 634 children benefited from the support.

Other events are organised during the month of Ramadan and religious feasts to distribute food aids, clothes and toys.

The association's future actions concern renewing the children's games-room of the Avicenne Hospital in Rabat and preparing a programme of support courses for hospitalised children.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17012
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco Centre going the distance to achieve a thriving houbara population.

The Houbara bustard, prized as a quarry for falconers and once in dramatic decline, has begun to thrive once again thanks to the efforts of the Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP), located in Missour, Eastern Morocco. The Centre exhibited at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition until September 15, 2006.

The Centre's captive breeding programme has made tremendous progress and has already succeeded in creating a self-sustaining captive houbara population. Over the long term, the Centre is committed to restoring an unlimited houbara population in the wild. Despite the intense challenges of breeding this shy bird in captivity, the Centre is currently on target to meet its ambitious goal of producing 5,000 birds per year by 2008. So far the number of hatchlings has increased from 429 in 2000 to 3,866 in 2006.

'The ECWP houbara breeding project is an excellent example of the UAE's strategic efforts to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental protection, social development and economic development. We, at the ECWP, are very excited to have helped build this gateway to a thriving houbara population,' said H.E Mohammad Al Bowardi, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Managing Director of the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi.

The Centre's breeding complex is the headquarters of a vast network of specialised stations distributed over 40,000 km2 in Eastern Morocco. The integrated, state-of-the-art facilities use the latest scientific innovations to breed, acclimate and reintroduce houbara into the wild. After release, their movements are closely tracked and their behaviour is studied in their natural habitat. One of the project's successes is that it locally grows all the food required by the houbara population.

A second captive-breeding station was set up in 2005 with the potential to hatch an incredible 10,000 houbara per year by 2014. The network also includes two permanent field stations in Matarka and Bouarfa with pre-release and release facilities. To promote genetic diversity in the breeding stock, 100 wild houbara eggs were annually collected between 2001 and 2005; however, for every wild egg collected, two captive-bred birds are released into the wild.  As of 2006, the breeding population totalled 3753 birds. Another striking success is that the number of houbara released into the wild has climbed from two in 1998 to 2794 in 2006, which results in 5454 birds released since the beginning of the project.

Since the ECWP's primary objective is to restore a sustainable wild houbara population, tracking the released birds and monitoring their behaviour in their natural habitat is crucial. In studying the houbara's efforts to survive, ECWP scientists monitor everything from weather systems to vegetation and wildlife in the release areas.
http://www.ameinfo.com/96737.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About 24% of Moroccans against Women's Work, survey.
Rabat, Sept. 20

Some 24 % of Moroccans are reluctant to women's access to the job market, revealed on Tuesday a survey of the Haut commissariat au Plan (High Commissioner for Planning, HCP). According to the survey entitled the "Moroccan Woman under the scrutiny of her social environment" 77 % of those who are reluctant, consider that "women's place is in the kitchen," while 18% see that women's work may dispute men's opportunities for a job. The survey also shows that about 35% of those who participated in the survey, are not informed of the enactment, in 2004, of the new Family code and this percentage is higher in the rural areas (45%) compared to 28% in the cities. If 92% of Moroccans agree on divorce legal provisions, only 23% approve women's marital tutelage, according to the survey which notes that women themselves are reluctant to the practice of this right (71% of women and 75% of men).

The new reforms of the Family Code, that took place on October 10th, 2003 are very significant in the history of Moroccan women, in the sense that they grant equity, justice and dignity to women, who are also responsible for the progress of any given society. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/about_24_of_morocca/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Survey: Over third of Moroccans not informed of Family Code.

Over a third of Moroccans “are not informed” of the promulgation of the new Family Code, a survey carried out by the Commissariat for Planning (HCP) revealed on Tuesday. “Indeed, 35% of the surveyed population are not informed of the promulgation of the new Family Code,” underlined the High Commissioner for Planning, Ahmed Lahlimi, at a press conference, specifying that the percentage in rural areas (45%) is higher than in urban ones(28%).

The survey, entitled “the Moroccan Woman seen by her Social Environment”, stressed “a true deficit of information”. “Though the provision relating to the legal divorce with obligatory presence of both spouses is favoured by most of the surveyed (92%), that relating to the possibility for the woman to marry without tutor poses a problem for an important proportion; it was approved only by 23%,” reads the report of the survey.

According to this study, although the majority of women adhere more readily to the new Family Code, they are mainly reserved with respect to the provision concerning the lifting of the obligation of the tutor for marriage (71% against 75% for men). “The evolution that the situation of the Moroccan woman is witnessing and the society's way of looking at her are related to the modernisation of the economic and social structures, but also to the persistence of the society's customs and habits,” Lahlimi told MAP news agency.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17129
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 2006 cost of living index rises 1.2%.
Rabat, Sept. 19

The index of the cost of living of August 2006 has shown an increase of 1.2% compared to the previous month, according to figures released by the Haut Commissariat au Plan. The planning commissioner ascribes this performance to the progress in the index of food products (1.9%), and in that of non-food products (0.6%). HCP said the cities where this rise was the most significant are Oujda, east (1.7%), Tangier (1.6%), Laayoune and Agadir, south (1.3% each), and the lowest increases were documented in Kénitra, west (0.9%) and Tetouan, north (0.8%). Compared to the same month of 2005, the August cost of living index has risen 3.7% (against only 0.2% in August 2005), according to the same source. HCP also noted a 3% increase in this index in the first eight months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005, with Fès, center, Marrakech, central south, and Agadir, south, registering the highest performances (3.5%, 3.4% and 3.3%, respectively).
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_economy/august_2006_cost_of/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terry Fox Marathon to support children with cancer.  
By Kaoutar Tbatou.  9/11/2006

A group of volunteers of different nationalities are organising on September 17 in Rabat the Terry Fox “Marathon of Hope” to raise the citizens' awareness of the dangers of cancer and collect funds in favour of Moroccan children living with cancer. The marathon will start at 8:30 a.m near Rabat's Pediatric Hospital. Participants will make a circuit of 10 km that will cross the centre of the capital. A number of well-known personalities, including ambassadors, sportsmen and women and NGO members have already expressed their desire to take part in the marathon. A 5 km march, in which families and children can participate, will be simultaneously organised in the Hilton Parc.

The marathon is named after Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete who was only 18 when, in 1977, doctors discovered that he had osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced him to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres above the knee. During his hospitalisation, Terry was so moved by the suffering of other cancer patients, who also included children, that he decided to organise a “Marathon of Hope” across Canada to collect funds for cancer research. Terry passed away in June 1981 after cancer spread to his lungs, but the “Marathon of Hope” became a tradition that has taken on in more than 60 countries around the world.

This is the third time the Terry Fox run is organised in Morocco. This year, the funds collected will be dedicated to the Association de l'Avenir (www.almoustakbal.org), a Rabat-based NGO working for children living with cancer and their families. Since it was founded in 1986, the association has been supporting cancer-stricken children, especially those belonging to disadvantaged families, by providing medical tests and medication during hospitalisation, and taking charge of follow up expenses.

The Association also built a house, “la Maison de l'Avenir”, where parents can lodge during their children's usually long stay in hospital.

According to Rajae Bennis Guennoun, the Association's vice-president, members are active all over the year to raise funds and keep the NGO's work going. They organise charity events, especially during Ramadan and religious feasts, music performances, fashion shows and sell different items bearing the name of the Association like post cards and T-shirts. This year's initiative in support of the Association de l'Avenir does not only include the marathon. A “Silent Auction” was organised on Saturday evening in the American Club to raise funds which were offered to the NGO.

Some 800 people take part in ‘Marathon of Hope'.
About 800 participants gathered Sunday in front of the children's Hospital in Rabat to take part in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, a sporting and humane event dedicated to children with cancer. Ambassadors, members of diplomatic missions, athletes, civil society actors, as well as ordinary citizens of all age groups, all participated in a 10-km race and a 5-km march.

They all had one objective in mind: raise awareness on this fatal disease and raise funds for “L'Avenir”, an association of parents and friends of children with cancer, the honorary president of which is HRH Princesse Lalla Meryem.“Thanks to such initiatives, people are more aware. They cooperate wholeheartedly with actions taken by the association,” Rajae Bennis Guennoun, the vice-president of L'Avenir, told MAP news agency.

Since it was founded in 1986, the association has been supporting cancer-stricken children, especially those belonging to disadvantaged families, by providing medical tests and medication during hospitalisation, and taking charge of follow-up expenses.

For his part, Mohamed El Khorassani, the director of Rabat's children hospital, stressed the importance of the participation of the civil society in the fight against cancer which remains a curable disease after all. El Khorassani also called on Moroccan NGOs and all citizens to participate in larger numbers in the Terry Fox Marathon.

The first annual Terry Fox Run took place in 1981. The Terry Fox Foundation strives to maintain the heroic efforts and integrity that the legendary Terry Fox himself embodied. Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977. Terry decided to start a cross-Canada run on an artificial leg to fund cancer research when he witnessed the suffering of other cancer patients, especially children. He ran for 3,339 miles during 143 days, but was forced to stop his run when his cancer stood as an obstacle. He died at the age of 22, but his initiative is still honoured in the annual Terry Fox Run.

He called his journey the Marathon of Hope.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17097
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Migrants' remittances help reduce poverty among the population, experts.
Tangier, Sep. 18

Migrants remittances cover 23,7% of import expenses and help reduce poverty, according to experts meeting, here Sunday, to discuss "Migration and development." "Money transfers, which constitute the prime source for hard currency, cover up to 23,7% of import expenses and represent 38% of fixed term and demand deposits in Moroccan Banks," they said, hailing the positive impact of remittances on national economy.  Last year, remittances stood at 8,9% of GDP and covered up to 22,5% of import expenses. Concerning the social impact, remittances are security nets that help reduce, between 19 and 23%, poverty at least 1,2 million people, according to these experts. Migrants Money transfers witnessed a tremendous development, reaching over USD 4,6Bn in 2005 compared to only 37Mn in 1990.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_economy/migrants__remittance/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jews celebrate hilloula of rabbi Haim Pinto western Morocco.
Essaouira, Sept. 15

Hundreds of Jewish pilgrims from around the world gathered Thursday in the coast city of Essaouira to celebrate the Hilloula of rabbi Haim Pinto. The Jews present in this three-day annual religious event have come from the United States, France, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil to "renew their attachment to the Alaouite throne (dynasty of king Mohammed VI) and to pray for peace in the world," said rabbi David Pinto. The Hilloula is a religious and charitable custom, based on the Sephardic tradition of making auction bids for ornate candles believed to help strengthen the soul. Morocco counts a minority of Jews amounting to about 5,000 individuals living in the four corners of the north African country.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/jews_celebrate_hillo/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Solidarity: Fourth SOS Children's Village opens in El Jadida.
By Kaoutar Tbatou. 8/31/2006

The fourth SOS Children's Village in Morocco has recently opened its doors in the city of El Jadida, 90 Km southwest of Casablanca. After the Villages set up in Aït Ourir, Imzouren and Dar Bouazza, this village comes to host more children who were neglected or abandoned by their families, orphans, or those who belong to disadvantaged families.

The new SOS Village, which can accommodate up to 100 children, has already received about 60 kids from different regions of Morocco. In the villages, children live within new families where SOS mothers take care of them. With the support of psychiatrists and social assistants, the carefully selected and trained “adoptive” mothers try to make the children get over the psychological troubles caused by lack of care in their initial families. “Despite the good living conditions in the Villages, children usually need an average period of one year to get used to their new lives,” said Nadia, one of the SOS mothers working in El Jadida's Children's Village. A fifth SOS Children's Village is expected to open in Agadir in 2008.

The villages are affiliated to SOS-Kinderdorf International, which started operating in Morocco in 1980.  SOS-Kinderdorf International is an independent NGO working for social development. Since its creation in 1949, it has been active in the field of children's needs, concerns and rights.  SOS Children's Village host the children who will probably of certainly not be able to return to their biological families. http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=16839
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco expects 3.5% growth for 2007.    
Thu, 21 Sep 2006 Rabat

Morocco should post growth of 3.5 percent in 2007 according to the country’s Centre of Situation Analysis. The centre said that this growth would be “acceptable” and would be based on growing business confidence as well as sound prospects for growth in the national economy. The centre predicted an upswing in industrial activity with growth edging up to 3.5 percent and that tertiary activity might reach 5 percent. It added that event though household consumption demand was expected to rise to 7.3 percent, exports, at 12.3 percent, would still rise faster than imports at 11 percent. The centre expected unemployment to drop by 0.5 percent from projected 7.7 percent during that last six months of 2006. The North African country recorded GDP growth of 7.1 percent this year, mainly as a result of a favourable agricultural season
http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/north_africa/196941.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco displays women-friendly measures.
Geneva Sept. 20

Moroccan ambassador and Permanent Representative in the UN office in Geneva highlighted, here Wednesday, a set of women-friendly measures adopted by Morocco to enhance women's situation. Speaking during a debate on "Violence against women: its Causes and Consequences" on the fringes of the 2nd session of The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Mohamed Loulichki, noted that Morocco has adopted a set of women-friendly measures to annihilate all forms of violence against women.

The Government has adopted a specific plan, launched crisis centers for beaten women in all courts, criminalized sexual harassment and endorsed a new family code, he said, adding that eliminating violence against women, securing their participation in all public activities and reinforcing their power will help eradicate this hideous phenomenon.

The Second Session of the UNHRC, kicked off on September 18, with the participation of international delegations of Member states, Observer states, UN agencies, NGOs and media representatives.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_displays_wom6856/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Women’s rights in Morocco.

In the last few years Morocco has taken the lead amongst the Islamic countries in promoting gender equity and the rights of women. Recognition for the nation’s positive steps has come from around the world and this week was highlighted in Geneva. On Wednesday the Moroccan ambassador and Permanent Representative in the UN office in Geneva described the set of women-friendly measures adopted by Morocco to enhance women’s situation. Speaking during a debate on ’Violence against women: its Causes and Consequences’ at the 2nd session of The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Mohamed Loulichki, noted that Morocco has adopted a set of women-friendly measures to annihilate all forms of violence against women.

The Government has adopted a specific plan, launched crisis centers for beaten women in all courts, criminalized sexual harassment and endorsed a new family code, he said, adding that eliminating violence against women, securing their participation in all public activities and reinforcing their power will help eradicate previous problems and discrimination.

Much still remains to be done, including questions of literacy rates and the fact that some Moroccan employers still treat young women as lowly paid workers. Recently The View from Fez came across a typical situation where a very talented young woman was being paid for general duties plus translation work at the rate of thirty dirhams a day. This is less than half of what most people pay female workers for unskilled work. Literacy is important as without it many rural women have no means of reading about their rights. Yet despite this, Morocco is far ahead of many other countries in the region.
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=5179
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young school girls from Tiznit province given bikes.

Some 200 young college girls from Tiznit province will soon be given bicycles by the Moroccan-French Association “Juste Pour Eux”, reported MAP news agency. Presided by the Moroccan Myriam Laoufir, the association aims at fighting school-quitting by young girls from Tiznit province. This solidarity operation, dubbed “A Bike For Her”, is carried out in collaboration with the French foundation “Décathlon” and sponsored by UNESCO, so as to promote universal access to education. The collegians will be granted new bikes, security helmets, fluorescent shoes and school bags. This initiative aims at encouraging young girls to persist in their efforts to finish their college cycle.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=17143
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco seizes 1.5m pirated CDs.  
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 Rabat

A drive by Morocco to clamp down on piracy has seen more than 1.5 million pirate compact disks being confiscated in the North African country this year. Last year, 888 084 CDs were seized, said the Association of Producers and Phonograms (APPP). The industry has blamed piracy for a major drop in movie theatres, from the heydays in the 1960s when there were over 500 theatres in the country. This has dropped to less than a hundred. However, it was likely that easier access to cheap home entertainment theatres was also at least partly responsible for the trend
http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/north_africa/203748.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco’s ADSL market grows by 294% in 2005.                      
17-09-2006

Since its launch in the Moroccan market in November 2003, ADSL subscribers’ base grew at a phenomenal rate reaching 0.331 million by end of June 2006. ADSL market grew by 97.0% during the second quarter of 2006 alone far outstripping that of the total Internet subscribers’ growth of 8.2%. This is due to internal churn from dialup and leased lines into ADSL for cost savings. Morocco’s Internet accounts penetration in Morocco currently stands at 1.12%.

The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Morocco do not require full-fledged licenses. Instead, any ISP in the country should obtain a declaration from the ANRT, the telecommunications regulator. These declarations have to be renewed on a yearly basis. The ANRT then forwards a copy of this declaration to the concerned governmental agencies. The declaration is essentially a class license that applicants can get with relative ease.

A new report, “Morocco Internet and Datacomm Landscape” was released to the Arab Advisors Group’s Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers on August 24, 2006. The 54-page report, which has 65 detailed exhibits, provides a detailed analysis of the Moroccan Internet and datacomm markets and profiles the operational ISPs in the country. The report includes 5-year historical and 5-year projections on Internet uptake and revenues. The report provides, moreover, a detailed and comprehensive picture on the Internet market strategies and regulations, e-commerce, and online content and services landscape.

The first Internet connection was established in Morocco by Maroc Télécom in 1995. Between 1997 and 2000, Morocco has seen the creation of many ISPs, which have subsequently consolidated around two major players: Maroc Télécom’s Menara Internet service and Maroc Connect’s Wanadoo-branded service. Presently, there are 10,051 holders of Internet declarations in the country, of whom 4,190 enlisted in 2005. The vast majority of which are Internet cafés and four broadband providing ISPs, namely: Maroc Télécom, Maroc Connect, and two smaller ones: Morocco Trade and Development Services SA (MTDS) and Maghreb Net.

Internet accounts in Morocco grew at a healthy CAGR of 49.16% between 2001 to 2005. Despite this, Internet penetration in Morocco is still very low by absolute and relative standards. “With upcoming infrastructure-based competition of multiple fixed operators and lower Internet bandwidth costs, the Arab Advisors Group projects that the Moroccan Internet market will grow at a healthy 2006-2010 CAGR of 29.8%.” Ms. Mirna Sunna, Arab Advisors Research Analyst wrote in the report.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/203262
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Road to Morocco.
Joe Horton  Posted: 9/21/06

I sipped my mint tea and prepared for death.

How do I answer him? I don't speak Arabic. His breath was hot in my ear. He cracked his knuckles.

"I'd like to go now please," I whispered.

The man approached.

And the darkness closed in.

One day earlier, Kate, Tim and I had arrived at the Hotel Batha-Fez on the outskirts of the Medina - a bustling, bazaar-filled enclave in the holiest city in Morocco. Caked with the dust of two continents, we hoped to take a shower but were informed that the hot water was only turned on from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Fine. We'll take a swim in the hotel pool instead. There was a sign on the door, however, and the French translated as such:

Think's To Not Use The Napkins In The Pool

Unsure of whether this meant that people were eating or being eaten in the pool area, we elected to fall into a dirty slumber.

We met our "Ministry of Tourism"-approved guide, Tariq, in the lobby at 9 a.m. He looked like a Moroccan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I couldn't help but think that his robed getup was somehow just a show for the tourists, considering no one else was wearing one.

Tariq didn't waste any time showing us why he was an official guide. He knew ALL of the scams. Apparently, a "guide" means "a guy who shows you around to his friends who will sell you things at outrageous prices." It didn't take us long to realize we'd be better off on our own, and it didn't take us long after that to realize being on our own was a terrible, terrible mistake…………….

Read more on: http://www.dailytrojan.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=322c3e68-ac82-48fe-8332-8faad9f902fe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco's trade minister says trade with United States improved.
21/09/2006

Morocco's Minister of Industry, Trade and Economic Upgrading Salah Eddine Mezouar said Wednesday (September 20) that trade with the United States has considerably improved, particularly in the Moroccan textiles and clothing sectors, which doubled their exports to the United States during the first five months of this year compared to the year-earlier period. The minister was speaking at a meeting with US representatives in Rabat on consolidating the free trade agreement (FTA). Morocco is looking to expand its textile markets outside the EU after it was hurt by the body abolishing quotas for Asian textiles in January 2005. (MAP) http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2006/09/21/newsbrief-05
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superstition: Sha'ban, month dedicated to rituals.  
By Oumnia Guedda. 9/12/2006

A simple headache, insomnia, nightmare, accident, food poisoning, fever, problem at work, a simple court-action for a non-respected red light and all is because of Sha'ban (eight month of the Islamic calendar). A number of Moroccans, who believe in evil spirits, think that all these things happen when an inhabited person does not give a present to the Jnoun (spirits). That is why the month preceding Ramadan (the month where the spirits are caught and chained) is animated by Hadras (evenings organised to give presents to the spirits).

Everyone has a version but they all believe that the spirits avenge themselves in Sha'ban on people who do not honour them. “When we are possessed by evil spirits, we are messed up during Sha'ban,” said one of Hadras attendants. “People pretending to be modern do not know - or rather feign to ignore- that it is absolutely necessary to make gifts to spirits during this period of the year. That's why the spirits take revenge on them and sicken them during this month,” another attendant said.

Believers of evil powers all agree that people who have been victims of spell casting in any moment of the year suffer a lot during the weeks preceding Ramadan. “The evil spirits give full vent to their anger before they are chained in Ramadan,” they added. So, to avoid any eventual vengeance from the spirits, believers of the paranormal organise many ritual evenings during Sha'ban, either simple Henna painting sessions, putting on clothes of certain colours, or mystical gatherings.

“Whatever the form or the quality of these rituals, it is dedicated to satisfy the Jnoun. The demands vary from one possessor to another,” say fortune tellers. Some other affirm that possessed people must visit a saint of their region to enjoy good health during this month.

“The jin haunting me, called “Hammou”, obliges me to organise a Hadra during the first 15 days of Sha'ban and to wear a newly-made red dress. I have also to paint my hands with Henna, offer an imperatively red chicken, dried fruits, dates and sugar,” said a fortune teller, adding that she has done the same thing every year since she was 19 years old.

The source of this information is a fqih (healer), who delivered her of Leriah (epilepsy attacks). Another young woman, 25, has to organise a colossal ritual every year, for the simple reason that she is not only haunted but totally possessed by what she calls the Fqih of all Jnoun “Chamharouch”.

According to her, she was obliged to become a fortune teller when she was 18. To satisfy her possessor, she has to offer a bull, wear a white dress and paint her hands with Henna. To avoid being punished by Chamharouch, she has to organise three Hadras of different kinds, Jilala, Hmadcha and Gnawa.

Adepts of other Jnoun like “Mira”, “Malika” and “Aicha” have to organise evenings with the “Aissawa” (a Sufi brotherhood in Morocco and all the Maghreb countries whose rituals include singing and chanting accompanied by musical instruments), offering yellow-coloured or black-spotted chickens. Others offer goats and black chickens and organise a Gnawa evening for a jin called “Mimoun”.

At this period of the year, selling chickens (the coloured Beldi one) becomes an enriching trade. Beautiful men and women with wonderful cars are seen in markets ordering specific chickens. When asked why these beliefs are widespread, everybody says that our religion recognizes the existence of Jnoun as creatures of God, who have the same destiny as humans.

Everybody has a world of his own. Some believe in Jnoun and some others in aliens. http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=17010
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These postings are provided without permission of the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the identified copyright owner.  The poster does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.