WUNRN
Contact: Dr. Fatima Sadiqi - sadiqi_fatima@yahoo.fr
International Conference on
«The Implementation of the Family Code and the
Issue of Underage Girls’ Marriage »
Fès, Morocco - 5-6 May
2012
The
The Family Code, which came
into force in 2004, much more advanced than the previous
version, laying strict conditions for polygamy and repudiation, and
fixing the legal age of marriage at 18 years instead of 15 for women
and men - except in exceptional cases subject to
the discretion of the judge - places the family under
"joint responsibility" of both spouses.
Underage girls’ marriage in
Thus, actions have to be multiplied by the government and civil society
for the
promotion of children's rights, among which education.
Within this context, the major goal of this
conference is to help implement the family law adequately and to participate in
awareness raising. The conference also seeks to reduce the frequency of single
mothers and street children, to influence the policy-makers, and make a change
in the procedure and enforcement of the law that specifies that the legal age
of marriage for girls is 18.
The conference will be geared to sensitize
parents, schools, youth associations, NGOs, judges, lawyers, members of
parliament, government officials and decision-makers about the urgency of
implementing the family code adequately and of eradicating the widespread
phenomenon of minors’ marriage among poor families.
The conference will discuss the following
sub-themes:
-Underage marriages and violence against women
and girls
-A review of the Family Code (Mudawana)
-Problems with the implementation of the
Mudawana
-Lobbying for an adequate implementation of the
Mudawana
-Causes and consequences of underage marriages
-Ways to combat underage marriages
-The role of judges and lawyers
-The role of the media and of education
-The role of women’s and youth organisations
Contact : Fatima Sadiqi - sadiqi_fatima@yahoo.fr
Senior Professor of Linguistics and Gender
Studies (MA, PhD)
Co-Founder of the International Institute for Languages
and Cultures (INLAC), Fez, Morocco www.inlac.net
Director of the Isis Center for Women and Development
UN Gender Expert
President of the National Union of Women's
Organizations www.nuwo.org