Amina Bouayach: Human Rights Accumulations in Morocco Laid Foundations for a State of Rights and Law

Amina Bouayach, President of the National Council for Human Rights, affirmed the achievements Morocco has made in Human Rights.

She devoted a large part of her dialogue on 2011 Constitution which Moroccans made sure to tailor themselves and vote for.

Such a participatory approach in which all forces have contributed regardless of their ideological or political orientations has certainly laid strong foundations for building a state of law and justice and further opened up broad human rights and democracy horizons.

Bouayash also mentioned in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Nahar Al-Arabi, that the new Moroccan constitution established the democratic choice in the country and enshrined the principle of separation of powers and independence of the judiciary system while linking responsibility to accountability. Thus, giving a new political and social dynamism and defining the principle of non-discrimination.

The Constitution has also emphasized the equal status of women and men in political, civil, social, economic, cultural, and environmental rights; thus, human rights have become one of the pillars of the nation.

The President of the National Council for Human Rights further addressed the issue of separating power, strengthening the independence of the judiciary system and creating an institution for the Public Prosecution Office in 2017, which for the first time in the history of Morocco became independent from the Ministry of Justice.

Bouayash tackled the issue of institutional reform that was strengthened through the reorganization of existing institutions, including the National Council for Human Rights. The Council, starting in 2018, has become a national institution concerned with the protection and advancement of human rights.

Bouayash also addressed the issue of gender parity in politics which has reflected positively on women’s representation in various legislative institutions. A case in point is the first only-female class to graduate in 2018 as Ladouls (authorities that sign marriages into law in Morocco), a job that was male dominant. In addition to that, assigning female judges to carry out tasks of legal documentation.

The President of the National Council for Human Rights considered that the accumulations achieved by Morocco throughout the last decades led to the adoption of a constitution that incorporated in its body the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, which was itself the fruit of the meeting of the supreme will of the state and the human rights movement in order to understand the past and anticipate for a better future.