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Divorce and Women’s Status: Impacts of Family Law Reform in Southern Morocco
Abstract
National level reforms to the Personal Status Code (PSC) in Morocco in 2004 included changes to the process of divorce, such as prohibiting the practice repudiation and requiring the presence of a judge to process divorce cases and oversee the division of marital assets. Legislative changes intended to raise women’s status in Moroccan society and responded to demands posed by women’s organizations on national and local levels. Now more than a decade past the original reforms, the question remains as to how the new PSC has affected women’s status in different regions of the country, particularly for rural women with low rates of literacy and formal education. Studies have revealed a lack of implementation measures to ensure the application of the PSC in many circumstances. Based on research in the Agadir region of Morocco in 2015, this paper discusses women’s recent experiences of divorce and assesses the extent to which women undergoing divorce proceedings are aware of current family laws and seek to claim legal rights under the PSC. It also examines the role of local NGOs in promoting awareness of women's rights and providing forms of legal advocacy for women.
Discipline
Anthropology
Geographic Area
Morocco
Sub Area
None