With the adoption of Bill No. 29.24, the Moroccan upper house is creating the basis for a centralized authority that is intended to manage the protection of vulnerable minors more systematically.
Rabat – Morocco continues to advance its institutional reforms in the social sector. The Moroccan upper house approved draft law No. 29.24 on Tuesday evening with a clear majority – 35 votes in favor and two against. The core of this project is the creation of the National Agency for Child Protection (ANPE). The goal is to transfer the previously often fragmented responsibilities into a coherent, state-organized system.
Centralization of powers through the new agency ANPE
The newly founded ANPE will act as a central coordination point in the future. As Hicham Sabiry, State Secretary for Employment, explained at the meeting, the primary aim is to rationalize human and material resources. The agency is given exclusive powers to directly supervise child protection centers and issue permits for social institutions.
A key aspect of the new regulation is the harmonization of measures between different ministries. The government is thus responding to the need to reduce legal and practical hurdles in the area of child protection through participatory management structures.
Differentiated care models for at-risk minors
The bill precisely defines which categories of children will be protected under the new system. In addition to victims of crime, this also includes children in precarious life situations and minors who have come into conflict with the law.
In order to meet different needs, the law provides for two regimes:
Closed regime: Comprehensive care within the centers, which can only be left under strict legal conditions. Open regime: A focus on social reintegration in which educational and social measures can also be carried out outside of the institutions.
Between political care and the need for prevention
While the majority factions viewed the draft as an expression of the royal care of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. and praised it as a necessary adaptation to international standards, the opposition representatives set additional accents. They warned that mere institution building was not enough. Rather, comprehensive preventive measures based on territorial justice must be ensured in order to guarantee equal opportunities in all regions of the Kingdom.
The context of this reform is the general dynamic of legislative renewal in Morocco aimed at linking national laws more closely to constitutional provisions and international conventions protecting children’s rights. The aim is to find a sustainable answer to challenges such as neglect and exploitation.
Source:
maghreb-post.de