Morocco Awaits Pivotal Family Code Reform

Morocco is currently undergoing a pivotal legal review of its Moudawana, the Family Code that governs issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. This reform has been highly anticipated since King Mohammed VI called for its revision in 2022, urging that the new code align with constitutional principles of equality and justice. The process has now officially entered the parliamentary phase.

In January 2025, the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives began reviewing the government's proposed amendments regarding raising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exceptions, restricting polygamy to rare cases such as infertility, ensuring shared parental responsibilities, and improving women’s access to inheritance rights.

A high level commission of legal scholars, religious authorities, and civil society actors had initially prepared and submitted the draft in March 2024, which went through a religious review by the Supreme Council of Ulema and was subsequently examined by the King before being passed on to Parliament. This multi-step process underscores the political and cultural sensitivity of reforming family law in a country where tradition, religion, and modern legal standards intersect.

While the parliamentary committee discussions mark substantial progress, the reform still needs to pass through both chambers of Parliament, the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, before it can be ratified by the King and enacted. This puts theMudawanareform squarely in the legislative spotlight for the current 2025 session.

As the debate continues, the outcome will not only determine the legal framework for Moroccan families. Still, it will also signal how far the country is willing to go in balancing social norms with constitutional rights and international obligations.