Determinants of child and forced marriage in Morocco: stakeholder perspectives on health, policies and human rights

Abstract

BackgroundIn Morocco, the social and legal framework surrounding sexual and reproductive health has transformed greatly in the past decade, especially with the introduction of the new Family Law or Moudawana. Yet, despite raising the minimum age of marriage for girls and stipulating equal rights in the family, child and forced marriage is widespread. The objective of this research study was to explore perspectives of a broad range of professionals on factors that contribute to the occurrence of child and forced marriage in Morocco.MethodsA qualitative approach was used to generate both primary and secondary data for the analysis. Primary data consist of individual semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 22 professionals from various sectors: health, legal, education, NGO’s and government. Sources of secondary data include academic papers, government and NGO reports, various legal documents and media reports. Data were analyzed using thematic qualitative analysis.ResultsFour major themes arose from the data, indicating that the following elements contribute to child and forced marriage: (1) the legal and social divergence in conceptualizing forced and child marriage; (2) the impact of legislation; (3) the role of education; and (4) the economic factor. Emphasis was especially placed on the new Family Code or Moudawana as having the greatest influence on advancement of women's rights in the sphere of marriage. However, participants pointed out that embedded patriarchal attitudes and behaviours limit its effectiveness.ConclusionThe study provided a comprehensive understanding of the factors that compound the problem of child and forced marriage in Morocco. From the viewpoint of professionals, who are closely involved in tackling the issue, policy measures and the law have the greatest potential to bring child and forced marriage to a halt. However, the implementation of new legal tools is facing barriers and resistance. Additionally, the legal and policy framework should go hand in hand with both education and increased economic opportunities. Education and awareness-raising of all ages is considered essential, seeing that parents and the extended family play a huge role in marrying off girls and young women.

Determinants of Child (Early) Marriages among Young Girls- A Public Health Issue

“…This is also supported by Sabbe et al [2] who affirm the attainment of education as one of the important determining factor of marriage and adolescent child bearing [7]. It is vital to understand that child marriages hold back young girls from continuing their education even basic primary education and are bound to forced marriages thereby impeding the achievement of millennium development goals of universal access to education and women empowerment [7].…”

“…The severity is such that it causes psychological trauma and increased risk for sexually-transmitted diseases among young married girls with complications like fistula during childbirth and even death of the young mother or her baby [3,9]. Child marriage does not only deprive girls of their childhood and educational opportunities, but also makes them vulnerable to the brutal cycle of domestic violence, sexual abuse and poverty [2,6]. According to Nour [10] young women (girls) who are forced into marriage are additionally exposed to greater risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infection as they are forced into sexual activities by their much older husbands.…”

“…In Pakistan like other South Asian countries, men have more control and power and thus are considered as the decision makers of the family [2]. In contrast, females are considered as secondary or as a guest in her parents' house and that the final destiny or permanent place is her husband's house.…”

“…In Islamic countries like Pakistan, a high value is placed on a girl's virginity and is considered as a shame on a family if a girl is not a virgin when she marries [1,2]. Consequently, in order to uphold the honor of the family and morality of the adolescent girl, she may be married earlier without taking into consideration her age or sense of maturity.…”

“…According to the Article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and UNICEF, the terms child or early marriage are used interchangeably to describe a legal or accustomed union between two people, of whom one or both spouses is below the age of 18 years [1][2][3][4]. Currently, one third of the women in Pakistan get married before the age of 18, while about 12 to 13 percent get married before their 15th birthday (Nadia, 2013).…”