ASF in Morocco

Location: Rabat 1st ASF project in Morocco: 2013 Team: 2 collaborators Contact: [email protected]

Context

The Arab springs have been the source of major changes in the southern Mediterranean region, but Morocco did not experience social movements on the scale of those that emerged in Tunisia or Algeria in the early 2010s. Despite this, Morocco adopted a new – and more liberal – constitution in 2011 and encouraging legislative reforms, presenting itself on the regional and international scenes as a state strongly committed to the democratic process and reforms in terms of rule of law.

However, in spite of this new constitution, these new legislations and the ratification of the main international human rights instruments, the Moroccan population can’t today effectively and fully exercise the rights enshrined in these different texts. The Constitution enshrines for example the principle of equality between men and women as a fundamental principle, but civil society still does not witness the expected changes on the ground and the country is struggling to effectively fight gender-based violence and discrimination.

Conditions of justice and human rights

In Morocco, the rate of incarceration remains very high (237 detainees per 100 000 inhabitants). Approximately 88.000 people are detained, of whom nearly 45% are awaiting trial, while the country’s prisons have a capacity of around 53.000 detainees (which represents a prison overcrowding of 156%).

Detainees sentenced to terms of up to 2 years, for minor offences, account for half of the total population and young men aged between 20 and 30 years are over-represented (45%).

Prison terms are also a “double punishment” because they not only contribute to structural overcrowding in prisons and poor conditions, but also have negative consequences for detainees and their families, especially the poorest. Detention systematically leads to a loss of income and employment, and further impoverishes already vulnerable households.

The “Charter for the Reform of the Legal system”, adopted in 2013, is struggling to deliver convincing results, considering that the long-awaited revisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Penal Code to bring them into compliance with the new Constitution have not yet been made. The Covid-Sars2 pandemic has multiplied repressive episodes, with more than 90.000 citizen arrests recorded in 2020, triggering prosecutions, condemnations and, ultimately, incarcerations which further clog already overcrowded prisons.

ASF’s strategy in Morocco

ASF wants to assist Moroccan civil society in its fight to contribute to a plural, democratic and egalitarian Morocco, that respects humans rights and is based on the principles of social justice and sustainable development. To this end, ASF supports the legal empowerment of justice seekers in situation of vulnerability in their claims and the realisation of their rights, relying on the interdisciplinarity of actors to ensure comprehensive support.

Projects

News

September 22, 2025

Criminalising poverty in North Africa: a lingering colonial legacy

ASF has just published the Policy Brief “The Criminalisation of Poverty in North Africa – A Critical Review of Social, Legal and Political Dynamics”. In North Africa, poverty is not only a social challenge: in many cases, it is still treated as an offense. A legacy of colonial penal codes, the crimes of begging, vagrancy, or informal trade continue to bring thousands of people before the police or the courts in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. These laws do not punish criminal acts, but rather a social condition that is considered a threat to public order. En Afrique du Nord, la pauvreté n’est pas seulement un défi social : elle reste, dans bien des cas, traitée comme une infraction. Héritage des codes pénaux coloniaux, les délits de mendicité, de vagabondage ou de commerce informel continuent d’envoyer des milliers de personnes devant la police ou les tribunaux, en Tunisie, au Maroc et en Algérie. Ces lois ne sanctionnent pas des actes criminels, mais bien une condition sociale considérée comme une menace pour l’ordre public.

Detention | Economic, social and cultural rights | Security and freedom | Morocco | Tunisia

August 28, 2025

Minor offences in Morocco: promoting a non-criminal approach in line with the population’s needs and expectations

In Morocco, as in many countries, criminal laws continue to punish behaviours often linked to poverty, marginalisation or activism. In collaboration with the Observatoire Marocain des Prison (OMP), Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) conducted a groundbreaking national survey in 2024 on perceptions of minor offences and alternative sentences, as part of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty, Status and Activism. This work is part of a structural reform of the criminal justice system, aimed at ending the arbitrary use of prison for so-called ‘minor’ offences and paving the way for fairer, more humane and effective responses.

Access to justice and development | Detention | Morocco

August 14, 2025

ASF Releases its 2024 Annual Report: Standing up for Human Rights in a Changing World

Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) is today releasing its 2024 Annual Report, which pays tribute to those who, across the world, put their freedom – and sometimes their lives – on the line to defend fundamental rights.

Uncategorized | Belgium | Central African Republic (the) | Congo (the Democratic Republic of the) | East Africa | Euro-Mediterranean region | Kenya | Morocco | Niger (the) | Tanzania | Tunisia | Uganda

Publications

August 27, 2025

The Criminalisation of Poverty in North Africa – A Critical Review of Social, Legal and Political Dynamics (French)

Decolonisation | Detention | Security and freedom | Morocco | Tunisia | Policy Brief

August 14, 2025

Annual report 2024

Belgium | Central African Republic (the) | Congo (the Democratic Republic of the) | East Africa | Euro-Mediterranean region | Kenya | Morocco | Niger (the) | Tanzania | Tunisia | Uganda | Annual report

February 25, 2025

Agricultural and Agri-food Companies in Morocco: A Continuum of Human Rights Violations and Disrespect (French)

Business & human rights | Morocco | Study-Report