Underage marriage declines in Morocco, but persists in rural regions

Wednesday 24 September 2025 - 07:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Underage marriage declines in Morocco, but persists in rural regions

Underage marriage in Morocco has significantly decreased over recent years, with the Ministry of Justice reporting a drop in marriage contracts involving minors from 26,298 in 2017 to 8,955 in 2024. This progress is largely credited to reforms raising the legal marriage age to 18, alongside nationwide awareness campaigns targeting families and judicial systems. Despite these encouraging figures, underage marriage remains deeply entrenched in rural and marginalized communities, where poverty and limited opportunities drive the practice.

A rural reality shaped by hardship

For many families in Morocco’s countryside, marrying off daughters is less a cultural tradition and more a response to economic survival. Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi revealed that the majority of applications for underage marriage come from rural areas, where poverty, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to education converge. In fact, rural courts saw over 11,000 applications last year, nearly three times the number recorded in urban areas.

Legal reforms overshadowed by persistent challenges

Morocco’s family code reform set the legal marriage age at 18, permitting exceptions at 17 only under strict judicial review. However, judges often face pressure to approve underage unions, undermining the law’s intent. Children’s rights advocate Laila Amharou highlighted that legislation alone cannot confront the root causes of child marriage. Economic fragility, inadequate infrastructure, and the absence of schools and vocational training continue to push families toward early marriage as a perceived solution to their struggles. Amharou described the law as “a rigid text difficult to confront against harsh reality.”

A systemic issue beyond cultural practices

Child marriage in rural Morocco is not solely a cultural issue but a reflection of systemic inequalities tied to poverty and state neglect of rural development. Young girls in remote regions are disproportionately affected, often forced to leave school early, endure early pregnancies, and remain trapped in cycles of poverty. Without substantial investments in education, scholarships, vocational training, and safer community infrastructure, reforms risk becoming little more than symbolic gestures.

The persistence of underage marriage highlights the urgent need for structural change. Until the state addresses the deep economic and social disparities between rural and urban areas, Morocco’s progress will remain uneven, leaving thousands of young girls vulnerable to premature unions that strip them of their rights and opportunities for a better future.