MOROCCO EVALUATION OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

BRIEF PROJECT HISTORY: The IBCR has been active in Morocco since 2006, when it published a series of national profiles on the status of children’s rights initiatives in North Africa, and especially in Morocco. Since 2008, the IBCR has worked in close collaboration with the Moroccan NGO Bayti, which fights for the promotion and protection of children’s rights in Morocco, particularly for children living or working on the streets. This collaboration has continued through the voluntary cooperation programme (previously described in this report). Since 2015, the IBCR has also been working with UNICEF in the field of justice for children. As part of this initiative, the IBCR received a mandate in March 2015 to perform an evaluation of the juvenile justice system in Morocco and support the development of an action plan aimed at improving its efficiency and consistency.

GOALS:

Evaluate the adequacy and efficacy of the juvenile justice system

Analyse the interactions of the system’s various components (weaknesses, best practices, etc )

Provide concrete and practical recommendations on policies, structures, procedures and management practices pertaining to children in contact with the law

PARTNERS:

Moroccan Department of Justice and UNICEF Morocco

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Two missions carried out in Morocco, for a total of six weeks

Three missions within the country (Marrakech, Tangiers and Casablanca) to hold working sessions with social workers, police officers, constables, civil society organisations and various judicial staff

Report on current conditions validated during a workshop held in Rabat in June 2015

A series of recommendations validated and translated (French and Arabic) in December 2015

30 children in several child protection centres were consulted for their opinions on the support received during the various stages of the judicial process and on their interactions with the various stakeholders of the justice system.