Five years after the House of Representatives accepted a petition seeking a law on gender equality, women’s rights campaigners have renewed their demand, urging the newly formed government of Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri to act on the proposal.
The Parité Maintenant coalition, coordinated by Ouafa Hajji, said women continued to be underrepresented in decision-making bodies, accounting for 21.9 per cent of the new cabinet and 28pc of members of the House of Representatives.
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In a statement issued after the formation of the government, the coalition called for a framework law to give effect to Article 19 of the Constitution, which provides for equality between men and women and calls for parity.
The group had submitted a petition to the House on Dec 31, 2020, seeking legislation setting out the principles and objectives of gender equality. The petition was accepted by the House bureau in June 2021.
The coalition said it had already put its proposal before the government and Parliament, but the legislation it is seeking has yet to be adopted.
It argued that measures designed to increase women’s representation were not enough on their own and called for changes to the law and public policy to secure lasting equality.
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The group also urged the government to make the Authority for Parity and the Fight against All Forms of Discrimination (APALD) operational and speed up the reform of the Family Code.
It said legislative and institutional reforms were needed ahead of future elections to ensure women had a fairer share of political representation.
