Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
May 16, 2009

Child marriage in Morocco criticised.
By Sarah Touahri  2009-05-05

Moroccan women's rights organisations call for action to be taken against child marriage. Moroccan associations and human rights organisations want the practice of child marriage to stop. Campaigners from various associations recently criticised the way the Moudawana (Family Code), which was intended to limit child marriages, has been applied.

The legal minimum age for marriage in Morocco is 18 years, although family judges are empowered to allow exceptions. This loophole has enabled thousands of families to marry off their daughters prematurely. According to figures from the justice ministry, over 31,000 under-age girls were married in 2008, compared with 29,847 in 2007.

Fouzia Assouli, chair of the Democratic League of Women's Rights, stressed that reform of the family code must take place now to restrict and clearly define the judges' powers regarding child marriage. "Five years after the new family code was passed, Moroccans have certainly grasped the great importance of women's rights, but we're still lagging behind society's expectations," she said.

Samira Boufaracha, who belongs to the association Together for Women's Development, stated that the basis upon which exemptions are granted by judges is often unclear. "Almost every request is granted, which just encourages families to continue this practice, even though when the Moudawana first came in, we thought things would change."

The Moroccan Women's Democratic Association's legal chair Saïda Amrani Idrissi said that the law gives judges tremendous room for manoeuvre. The justice minister says that judges are not automatically granting permission for child marriages, citing the 7% of requests that are rejected. "The fact that some requests are rejected proves that approval is not a foregone conclusion. Requests are granted according to the particular social situation of the girls concerned," stated Justice Minister Abdelwahed Radi.

Jamal Badaoui, a sociologist, explained to Magharebia that it is proving difficult to change Moroccan attitudes overnight, particularly in rural areas. "Mindsets are much harder to change than laws. Parents living in the midst of poverty and illiteracy continue to believe that girls must be married off as soon as possible. They can't imagine a future outside marriage."

He added that things would not change unless there are targeted public awareness campaigns to explain the harm caused by early marriage and to stress the importance of learning in girls' lives, both in urban and country areas. "An improvement in families' economic circumstances will also help to limit the phenomenon. In fact, there is a series of causes on which the authorities and civil society must take action to change the situation." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/05/feature-01
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Middle class statistics spur debate in Morocco.
By Sarah Touahri 2009-05-14

A recent government study in Morocco is stirring up controversy over the definition of "middle class". The state of the middle class is under review in Morocco, with experts debating the criteria used to define it, its size as a percentage of the population, and the quality of life it offers. Questionable numbers published in a recent High Commission for Planning (HCP) study have further fuelled this heated discussion.

The HCP study, released May 6th, shows that the middle class in Morocco accounts for 53% of the population, compared with 34% for the lower class and 13% for the upper class. Some 59% of the urban population belongs to the middle class, compared with 45% in rural areas. Twenty-eight per cent of middle class households have an income greater than the national average of 5,308 dirhams per month, 42% belong to the intermediate category with income between the median and the national average, and 30% are in the lower category with income below the national median of 3,500 dirhams, explained High Commissioner for Planning Ahmed Lahlimi.

These statistics have stimulated a vigorous debate. Many have said that in the current period marked by the steady erosion of spending power and the negative effects of the international economic crisis on the labour market, the figure of 53% of Moroccans belonging to the middle class is an exaggeration. Others feel the definition of the middle class is incorrect and should be changed to give a clearer picture of the situation.

"The cost of living has increased so much over the past ten years that the middle class has been crushed, and many of them have started to disappear," explained economist Jamil Mellakhi. "A few years ago, someone earning 3,000 dirhams could provide their family with a decent standard of living; that is no longer the case today." Mellakhi added that a household income of 3,500 to 5,000 dirhams per month could not be used as the defining characteristic of the middle class.

Several members of the public struck a similar note."Teachers, for example, belonged to the middle class in the 1980s. A primary school teacher would earn enough on their own to cover family expenditures and live comfortably," said Souhaila Kawtari, herself a teacher. "Over the past few years, things have changed. You can no longer say that teachers belong to the middle class." Lahlimi explained that the definition of the middle class used for Morocco draws just as much on social self-classification by heads of household as it does on the objective criteria of income and living standards.

Self-evaluation does have its limitations. The results obtained from this approach are clearly skewed by cultural factors: the dominant culture is based around the idea of a happy medium, which means that both rich and poor like to identify themselves as middle class, Lahlimi added. "So among the richest 20% of the population, 75% consider themselves to be middle class; meanwhile the figure is 37% for the poorest 20% of the population."

Sociologist Samira Brami agreed. Moroccans, she said, by virtue of their upbringing, are imbued with a spirit of resignation; hence, even poor people consider themselves from the middle class. "Similarly, the way of life changes from town to town. Someone living in Oujda will not have the same standard of living as someone in Casablanca. Other criteria come into play: leisure activities, comparisons, education, etc."

The prime minister's cabinet stated that the government is currently working on ways to provide support to the middle class, through controlling costs (housing, health, staple goods), encouraging employment to increase the number of wage earners within families, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and improving public transport and rural development policies. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/14/feature-01
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Morocco unveils Export Plus programme to boost foreign trade .
By Hassan Benmehdi 2009-05-11

As Morocco's strong economic ties to a weakened Europe begin to weigh down the national economy, the government unveils a new plan to boost overseas trade. European markets continue to face the global financial crisis and the Moroccan export sector - heavily dependent on customers in Europe - is feeling the fallout.

To maximise exports into the region, encourage greater co-operation with foreign partners and counter the anticipated downturn in 2009, Morocco last week launched new strategic plan. The foreign trade ministry released details of the National Plan for the Development and Promotion of Exports at a press conference on Wednesday (May 6th) at the National Library in Rabat.

The goal of the new programme, dubbed "Maroc Export Plus", is to triple the volume of Moroccan exports over the next decade and recruit more than 2,000 companies into the process, said Foreign Trade Minister Abdellatif Maazouz. The trade stimulus initiative - drawn up in partnership with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton - will support other development programmes such as Plan Maroc Vert, Plan Azur, Emergence, Vision 2015 for the Development of Crafts and the Moroccan Energy Strategy to target large importers, neighbouring markets and specialty markets.

Speaking to Parliament last week, Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said that the growth forecast for the global economy fell from 3% to -1.3% in April, while the volume of world trade plummeted from 3.5% to -8%. "This contraction has had repercussions in certain areas of the national economy," he said, "in particular with regard to tourism (where revenues fell by 21%), remittances from overseas Moroccans (down by 14.3%), [and] exports (down by 30%)... while imports fell by 16.8%."

Meanwhile, the balance of trade fell by 31% in March. Jobs were lost in textiles, electronics, mechanics and the automobile industry. Both business figures and Moroccan MPs believe that government measures to deal with the global crisis have been too modest.

Abdelhak Lahlou, who manages a Moroccan-Spanish electronics firm based in Casablanca that serves European customers, said the situation is difficult due to the country's exposure to the global economy. "The whole problem has come from abroad, which is where most of our orders come from," he told Magharebia. Moroccan opposition parties, meanwhile, cite redundancies within many companies and the decline in remittances from overseas residents as contributory causes to the financial problem.

Mohammed Benayyad, Secretary-General of the National Foreign Trade Council, however, argues that the crisis is structural and not merely linked to the current economic climate. For this reason, he believes that both short-term and systemic changes should be made. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/11/feature-01
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Newest Moroccan reparations initiative supports capacity building projects.
By Siham Ali 2009-05-07

The Moroccan Human Rights Advisory Council signed the latest agreement with the government to implement the IER's community-building recommendations. Morocco began this week to implement another of the 2006 recommendations from the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) regarding reparations to victims of repression during the Années de Plomb (Years of Lead) under Hassan II.

The IER felt that in addition to the monetary compensation due to the victims of serious human rights breaches, reparation should also have a community dimension. To pursue this local assistance initiative, the Moroccan Human Rights Advisory Council (CCDH) and the ministry of social development, family, and solidarity signed the latest accord on Tuesday (May 5th) in Rabat.

The agreement seeks to provide support for social welfare programmes to help women, children, disabled people, and the elderly. The programmes will contribute to restoring NGO networks and build the capacity of local actors. "We are proud to be contributing, alongside the CCDH, to the implementation of the IER's recommendations regarding redress for damage caused to communities, and efforts to ensure that what happened will not be forgotten", commented Minister of Social Development Nouzha Skelli.

The first wave of projects, costing a total of 12.2m dirhams, began April 1st. Eight provinces that suffered during the so-called Years of Lead were targeted: Ouarzazate, Errachidia, Zagora, Figuig, Nador, Al Hoceima, Casablanca-Hay Mohammadi and Khenifra. A total of 33 projects were chosen from 90 proposals. Funding will be allocated to build the capacity of local actors, promote human rights, and ensure that the mistakes of the past will not be forgotten or repeated.

CCDH President Ahmed Hrezni stated that in addition to encouraging economic development, some of these projects are also aimed at restoring memorial sites and setting up offices to gather data on the period during which these human rights violations occurred.

For instance, one of the projects chosen will involve the making of a documentary on the events that occurred in Nador in January 1984, when low-key student protests ended in a bloodbath following a heavy-handed police crackdown. "These events must be inculcated into people's minds and must serve as a warning for the future," explained the president of Nador-based NGO Ilmass, Said Moussaoui.

Minister of Communication Khalid Naciri confirmed that the government is committed to providing support for reconciliation schemes. He believes that the community reparation programme will strengthen democracy and boost efforts to foster a culture of human rights.

People living in the regions concerned have welcomed the initiative."The Rif region was hit very hard. I hope that the projects that will soon be implemented as part of the community reparation scheme will help reinforce people's sense of citizenship and help promote reconciliation and justice," said Jamal Bouyidi, a worker who lives in El Hoceima.

Ahmed Ichir, a teacher who lives in Ouarzazate, stated that his region had been neglected and that it was high time that economic development projects were launched to build the capacities of local actors and raise living standards.

King Mohammed VI established the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) in 2004 to rehabilitate victims of human rights abuses during the 1961-1999 rule of his late father, King Hassan II. The Commission's self-defined mandate is to "support the democratic transition of the country, to build the rule of law, and to spread the values and culture of citizenship and human rights". http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/07/feature-01
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Moroccan government seeks to promote scientific research.
By Siham Ali 2009-05-11

Morocco undertakes a new initiative to develop public research with help from academics and the private sector. In the latest move to promote national development, the Moroccan government pledged last week to provide new support for scientific research in the kingdom. Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi announced the initiative during the thirteenth board meeting of the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) in Rabat on May 5th.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister's office, the government has increased the volume of its loans to the National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Development over the past two years to 25 million dirhams. A further 50 million dirhams was contributed in 2007 for research by telecommunications operators.

This followed previous contributions of 52 million dirhams in 2005 and 32 million dirhams in 2006. El Fassi said that promoting scientific research is now essential for sustainable development in priority sectors, "such as the environment, water management, energy, food processing, medicinal and aromatic plants, fish stocks, mining products, and agricultural produce."

"The new approach will lend support to the massive projects that Morocco has embarked on in several different sectors, such as the National Industrial Development Plan, the Plan Azur for the promotion of tourism and the National Energy Strategy," said the head of the CNRST's science and technology department, Abdelaziz Benjouad.

The government's new strategy is aimed at strengthening science infrastructures, the financial management of research activities, and basic and ongoing training. The objective is to keep up with the pace of technological development and to foster a culture of entrepreneurship within the academic community.

The prime minister stressed that the idea is to make universities independent in order to boost scientific research and help them pilot their own policies at both the regional and local levels. "Under the Emergency Education and Training Plan, 183 million dirhams would be spent on scientific research running costs," Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmed Akhchichine said at the meeting.

"Investments totalling 69 million dirhams would be made in 2009 – an increase of 5 million dirhams over 2008."
The minister explained that there are a number of hurdles to overcome. One important task is to provide incentives to students by means of a scholarship programme for scientific research. The private sector must play a role in financing the sector, he asserted. The government is hoping that investors will provide co-financing equating to more than 25% for sectors regarded as priorities for Moroccan development. Akhchichine stated that the current co-financing proportion is just 12%.

Offering incentives to companies is another necessary step. It is hoped that the system will be modelled on an existing scheme involving telecoms operators, which are bankrolling ICT projects at research institutions and universities. "In France, scientific research constitutes a sizeable source of income for schools," explained engineer Ahmed Boudani. "Research contracts are entered into directly with companies interested in development, whereas in Morocco, scientific research is regarded as a drain on the budgets of schools and universities. If we had well-organised research bodies, the private sector would take an interest." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/11/feature-02
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Marrakech: a city of contrasts.
By Lyes Aflou and Siham Ali 2009-05-08

Marrakech is Morocco’s most popular tourist destination and April its busiest month, but ever since the global financial crisis started to hit the Red City, tourism officials have been forced to think of new ways to keep the travellers coming.

On the main streets of Marrakech, honking cars zigzag through traffic; on the sidewalks, pedestrians in colourful outfits forge paths through street vendors, carts and snake charmers; in the cafes, tourists sit back, sipping traditional Moroccan tea, enjoying authentic food and listening to local music.

It is a city of contrasts, where history comingles with modernity and wealth and poverty come face-to-face.
Wherever you look, whatever the season, tourists from all over the world head for the "Red City", particularly in April, when the climate is at its most favourable.

"It was the sun that made us fall in love with this region of Morocco. That, and its ancestral heritage," a Frenchman from Bordeaux tells Magharebia as he and his wife lounge poolside at the Hotel Tichka. Every spring, they come to Marrakech to recharge their batteries. Marrakech is not subject to seasonal weather extremes, making it appealing to European travellers. On legendary Djemaa El Fna square, artists, craftsmen, fortune tellers and snake charmers can be found year-round.

The nerve-centre of the old walled town is the rallying point for tourists. The huge open-air restaurants are fragrant with the aroma of kebabs, caressing your senses and urging you to find yourself a table. Raised terraces of neighbouring cafés perch over the square like a great theatrical arena.

All roads lead here, to the snake charmers with reptiles of all shapes and sizes in their arms and the soothsayers offering to tell your future. Music fills the air and there is a carefree, festive atmosphere.

The place is well-known for its vibrant nightlife."There’s all this music, all these shows. It’s a party town," says Mattieu, a French tourist from Toulouse. But the festive show put on for the tourists can barely conceal the misery of many of the Marrakchis. The old women who offer to read the future in your palm or decorate you with henna suggest immeasurable distress, if their clothing is any indication.

And then there are the child beggars. Khaoula is 13 years old. It is ten o’clock at night, but rather than doing her homework, she is here selling homemade cakes on the street. When asked if she regularly comes here to this little alleyway leading into to the old walled town, she says, "every day", then holds out her hand in an appeal for alms.

The alleys by Djemaa El Fna square lead to the souks – a veritable Ali Baba’s cave. Tucked in between the square and Ben Youssef medersa (Qur’anic school), the souks are irresistible to tourists. Merchants' stalls are grouped by trade or speciality. All kinds of objects can be found here, from traditional Moroccan slippers and spices to pottery and leather goods. Even though the prices are astronomical, few passers-by leave empty-handed. The souks wind through the labyrinthine alleys. Here and there, motorbikes make their way amid the throngs of pedestrians.

More than 40,000 craftsmen work in this enclosed area, shielded by wooden latticework or tucked away in covered walkways. The Medina, the historic Marrakech city centre, covers 600 hectares. In the 12th century, a casbah (citadel) was built to protect the city from attacks from mountain tribes. The defensive walls were changed and extended many times by the various dynasties that reigned in Marrakech. Their ochre colour provided Marrakech with its moniker: the Red City.

The Medina is now an important residential and commercial hub. The traditional houses, or riads, have met with tremendous popularity among wealthy Moroccan and western tourists, who spare no expense on their restoration.

Another historic site on any tourist trek is the Bahia Palace, the former residence of Vizier Ba Ahmed, once Morocco’s most powerful man. Also of note is the Koutoubia Mosque. With its minaret rising above the city – visible from everywhere and illuminated at night – it is among the most beautiful monuments in North Africa.

Tourism in Marrakech, however, is starting to feel the impact of the global economic crisis. Othmane Cherif Alami, who chairs the national tourism federation, confirms that Marrakech’s figures are tailing off. "The city is suffering from recession," he concedes.

"Previously, this time of year was the high season, and there were never any vacancies here at the Souleyman Palace," he says sadly, speaking over the sound of a nearby concert of Andalusian music.

"The financial crisis is starting to have an effect on tourism. The whole of Marrakech will feel it," the seasoned expert predicts. Local and national authorities are working hard to preserve Marrakech as a favoured tourist destination. Under a "crisis plan" set out by the tourism and crafts ministry and the national tourist board, the government promised in the 2009 budget to increase communications funds for the ochre city by 20% (it stood at 116 million dirhams in 2008).

''The idea is to reduce the impact of the recession and consolidate Marrakech’s [tourism] market share," says Hamid Bentahar, head of the regional tourism council (CRT). Much is being done to secure the French market, which makes up 60% of the tourist numbers. Other strategies target the internal market (12%) and the United Kingdom (11%).

CRT Marrakech prepared its own action plan, promoting golf and eco-tourism, cultural weeks, sports competitions and festivals. In an aggressive marketing strategy, the CRT in March launched a series of "roadshows" through France to promote Marrakech as the premier tourist site in the kingdom. The French promotion included B2B workshops between Moroccan and French tourism professionals.

To deal with the difficult circumstances facing the sector, many Marrakech businesses also started offering very attractive price reductions on their products. "Demand is not as high as it used to be," hotel receptionist Hamdane tells Magharebia, "so management decided to offer special deals to attract customers from both home and abroad".

Craftsmen in the city are also feeling the effects of the recession."Tourists still come in large numbers to admire the work on display," Samir Radi tells Magharebia, "but fewer of them are buying the products".
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2009/05/08/reportage-01
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Casablanca festival helps poor Moroccan couples get married.
By Imane Belhaj 2009-05-12

Casablanca is preparing to welcome one million celebrants for the second edition of its popular group wedding festival, Zawaj Derb Soltane. Ten lucky couples will have all their expenses paid by a community association. Hassna Arouch never expected to be selected, together with her young future husband, as one of ten lucky Moroccan couples whose wedding expenses would all be paid as a gift from Zawaj Derb Soltane Association.

The unique group wedding party will run from July 2nd to July 5th, as part of a big festival hosted by Casablanca's Derb Soltane Al Fedaa neighborhood. "It’s the dream of my life," the 21-year-old tells Magharebia. Hassna and her fiancé Abderrehman were planning just a simple family wedding party. Their guests would have been limited to close relatives because they lacked the financial means to invite anyone else.

Thanks to the Zawaj Derb Soltane Association, now preparing to host its second wedding festival, Hassna needs to expand her list. "The success of the first Zawaj festival last year was a big motive to repeat it," renowned Moroccan comedian and association president Said Nassiri told Magharebia. "It was made to bring happiness to the hearts of couples from poor social classes."

The main goal of that event was to re-evaluate the values of solidarity and brotherhood which characterised the Casablanca neighborhood in the past, he said. "Today", he continued, "we want to re-establish [those values] through the noblest relation in the world, which is the relation between husband and wife".

On Thursday (May 7th), the organisers held a special tea party for the ten surprised winning couples. Five live in El Fida and five come from the Derb Soltane district. "The Association relied on objective criteria, which were supervised by a committee of representatives from the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, city council, Derb Soltane El Fida prefecture council and notaries," Zawaj Derb Soltane Association General Secretary Ahmed Sedjari added. These criteria include age, residence in neighbourhoods targeted by the National Initiative for Human Resources and family income.

The four-day festival will begin with the recitation of the fatiha celebrating the engagement and wrap up with festivities of the wedding night. Neighbourhood contests will be organised to select the cleanest alley, the best balcony decorated with flowers, as well as contests in haircuts, cosmetics, neggafas, and cooking, children's contests in Qur'an recitation, and open air art activities in which a number of Moroccan artists will take part.

Organisers hope to attract one million visitors, more than doubling the 400 thousand who came to the wedding party last year. The cost for this year's event is expected to be 9m dirhams. "The Association's activities will not be restricted to these festivals," Nassiri noted. He promised to stay in regular contact with the wedding couples in order to help them deal with other burdens of life. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/05/12/feature-02
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