Themis (Justice): Collective for Women's Justice

From October 2015, in Beni Mellal–Khénifra, AIDECA has implemented an EU-funded project in partnership with CEFA Marocco to make women’s paths to justice clearer and more attainable. The action corresponds to EuropeAid 136356/ID/ACT/MA, contract PG/2015/N°5, under the EU call for proposals for civil society organisations working on women’s rights promotion.

Context and challenges

Women’s access to justice was constrained by cultural and customary barriers and by shortcomings in public service delivery to protect women’s rights. The project addressed these issues by mobilising associative, institutional, and social actors; supporting a collective of specialised associations; raising awareness among officials, active women, students, and women in vulnerable situations; and fostering dialogue between the collective and institutions on access to justice.

Overall objective

To improve women’s access to justice in the former Tadla-Azilal area (today Beni Mellal–Khénifra) through a Collective of specialised associations and a consultation platform, aligned with the government equality plan Ikram.

What was done

• Capacity building: thirteen training cycles for forty-five local associations on women’s protection and access to justice.

• The Collective: thirty of these associations chose to federate into the Civil Collective for the Defense of Women’s Rights, legally recognised by the Moroccan State (constituted 19 February 2017 ). With CEFA’s support, the Collective carries out information and awareness work with women and students, and advocacy towards institutions to simplify procedures when violence requires judicial action.

• Outreach: the Collective reaches isolated towns and villages in the region; orientation days have helped guide more than 1,000 women in need towards the relevant state bodies.

• Procedures manual: in dialogue with institutions, the Collective is drafting a manual describing, for each type of violence, the administrative steps women must follow to file a request and obtain a hearing before the competent judge—intended for associations and public actors alike.

The Civil Collective today

The Civil Collective for the Defense of Women’s Rights brings together a formal network of associations active on women’s rights in Beni Mellal–Khénifra (sources from the project period refer to 32 member associations participating in project activities). It is a founding member of the national coalition “Collectif Dounia” for the prohibition of child marriage, and engages nationally with parliamentarians on this issue.

Results framework (indicative)

The overall objective indicator referred to integrating the justice dimension in associations serving women (target: a measurable increase in associations active in this field). The project aimed to strengthen at least twenty-five associations through the Collective and related support.