Rabat – A report by the Supreme Judicial Council notes a declining trend in requests for “marriage of minors” in recent years, despite an increase in total marriage requests.
Covering 2017 to 2021, the report cites a total of 1,179,232 requests for marriage in Morocco, with a dip in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Requests for minor marriages fell from 28,845 in 2017 to 25,182 in 2021.
The report notes that about 10.88% of the total requests for marriage in Morocco were for “marriage of minors”, with an average of 25,678 requests annually.
According to the report, Moroccan Courts approved approximately 46% of these requests, amounting to about 11,812 minor marriages per year.
Most cases involved girls aged between 17 and 17 and a half years.
The report highlights that social and economic factors, cultural beliefs, and family instability were key drivers of minor marriages.
The Moroccan Times.
