Telling Stories That Matter
I grew up in Morocco, in a world that often forgets the voice of women, but from silence, words are born… And from words, revolutions begin.
Rethinking Moroccan family code as a quest for equality and justice
By Majda Elajmi
Morocco, a country which was once a beacon of the MENA world for women’s rights is giving the subject, once again, a shot in the arm with a whole host of updates aimed at modernizing previous laws.
Morocco has witnessed a significant and transformative moment in its legal history with King Mohammed VI’s call for consultations to amend the Moroccan family code, this historic announcement comes after over a year since the King acknowledged the pressing need for fundamental changes in the existing family code.
The Family Code, initiated during the early years of King Mohammed VI’s rule, brought several important reforms to family code, aiming to address various issues affecting Moroccan families. However, with the passage of time, it has become evident that the code has certain limitations that hinder it from fully achieving its intended goals.
US Changes Rules Making Abortion Pills More Accessible
By Majda Elajmi
Rabat – The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) announced on Tuesday that women can obtain abortion pills from a certified pharmacy or by mail order under the supervision of a certified prescriber.
The FDA organization said in a statement that “Although the FDA’s announcement today will not solve access issues for every person seeking abortion care, it will allow more patients who need mifepristone for medication abortion additional options to secure this vital drug.”
The move lifted a significant barrier for women in the US seeking abortion pills by removing the previous rule in which patients had to pick up the prescription in person.
FDA officials said that a scientific review supported extending access, which would mean dispensing the pills in more specialty clinics and doctors’ offices.
The ability to obtain a prescription via an online consultation and receive the tablets by mail is now available to millions of American women.
The Mirage of Gender Equality in the MENA Region
Wrote by Fadhel kaboub
Senior Advisor, Power Shift Africa
Member, Independent Expert Group on Just Transition & Development
Majda El Ajmi
Media and Advocacy Officer, MENA Fem Movement For Economic, Development And Ecological Justice
As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024, let us reflect on the progress, or the lack thereof, towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations in 2015 under the UN Agenda 2030. Among these goals, SDG5 stands out as it aims to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls. Unfortunately, progress towards the SDGs in general has been disappointing, and in the MENA region in particular. At the current pace, it is evident that the SDGs, including SDG5, will take several decades to achieve, despite being less than six years away from the SDGs target date of 2030.
There is a simple reason for the world’s failure to achieve the SDGs. We are trying to deliver economic and social transformation in a global system that still operates under a colonial global economic architecture that was built on hierarchical, extractivist, abusive, and unequal modes of operation, deliberately designed to benefit the Global North at the expense of the Global South.
In essence, the realization of all SDGs, especially SDG5 hinges upon the urgent need to decolonize the global economic architecture, which includes transforming the financial architecture, the rules of international trade and investment, and the international tax system. Without addressing these fundamental issues, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls will remain nothing but a fleeting illusion.
UN Urges Taliban to End Restrictions on Women
By Majda Elajmi
Rabat – Following the Taliban’s ruling to ban women from attending universities or working for non-governmental organisations, the United Nation Security council on Tuesday called on the group to reverse its discriminatory restrictions.
In a statement, the 15-member council said it was “deeply alarmed” by the increasing restrictions facing women’s education in Afghanistan.
The UN council called for the “full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan.”
Echoing the statement, UN Secretary Antonio Guterres tweeted that the restrictions were “unjustifiable human rights violation and must be revoked”
He added, “Actions to exclude and silence women and girls continue to cause immense suffering and major setbacks to the potential of the Afghan people.”
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