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Child marriage declines in Morocco but remains high in rural areas
New statistics from Morocco’s Ministry of Justice show a significant decline in child marriage cases across the country. According to official figures, the number of registered cases dropped from 26,298 in 2017 to 8,955 in 2024.
Despite this progress, the data highlights a worrying concentration in rural areas, where requests for underage marriage remain persistent. In 2021, rural courts recorded 15,150 requests compared to 6,283 in urban areas. By 2024, the trend continued with 11,325 requests in rural regions against just 4,100 in cities.
Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi explained in a parliamentary response that socio-economic conditions play a decisive role in maintaining the practice in rural communities. He emphasized that proposed reforms to the Family Code—setting the legal marriage age at 18, with a tightly regulated exception at 17—are a crucial step to curb the phenomenon.
However, Ouahbi also stressed that legislation alone cannot solve the issue. “Fighting child marriage requires addressing family realities, changing mindsets, and confronting dominant social perceptions, especially in disadvantaged areas,” he said.
