FLDDF: Employment of Women Affected by Closure of Ceuta Crossing is an Important Step in Solving Female Unemployment Problems

The Federal League for Women’s Rights (FLDDF) considered the measures to conclude employment contracts for the benefit of those affected by the closure of the Ceuta crossing border, “an important step towards solving the problem of female unemployment in the region and strengthening their financial independence.”

The FLDDF also confirmed in a statement that this step would protect the national economy from smuggling, and “change the region’s reputation from an area for livelihood smuggling to an area of activities and fruitful economic attraction.”

The statement comes in the context of the measures taken by authorities for employment in the region of Mdiq-Fnideq and the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Competencies (ANAPEC) in order to start concluding work contracts for a group of affected women, whether due the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, or due to the closure of the Ceuta crossing border, “which used to employ a large number of women and men from the city in smuggling activities, leading them to losing their source of income.”

In this context, the FLDDF called for an acceleration of the proces of employing women involved in smuggling, “knowing that a large number of them are responsible of households and are greatly affected by the economic and social repercussions of the pandemic (…) in addition to workers in the informal sectors and even in the formal sector who have lost their income and have been therefore subjected to unemployment and poverty.”

The FLDDF also urged the parties concerned to work on “adopting transparency and integrity in the registration process to benefit from employment contracts,” with priority given to women in a situation of great need and family breadwinners, all while taking into account their status (elderly, people with disabilities …), and to ensure that these alternatives ensure ” dignity, decent living and good working conditions for these women.”

The statement concluded that there is a “need to strengthen dialogue, and improve interaction between stakeholders, persons concerned, and partner associations that are closely following the situation.”

And while the regional authorities of Mdiq-Fnideq region and the ANAPEC continue to conclude work contracts for these women, the agency reported, last Thursday, that this process, which falls within the framework of implementing the integrated program for economic and social development in the region, has enabled the conclusion of about 650 employment contracts for a group of women to work in industrial units specialized in textile recycling.