Council of Europe: Hearing session with the President of the National Human Rights Council, Mrs. Amina Bouayach

Invited by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the General Assembly (GA) of the Council of Europe (COE) on 23 January 2019, in Strasbourg, Mrs. Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), declared that the CNDH has adopted a new vision of human rights: the three- dimensional approach “Prevention, Protection and Promotion of human rights”. 

The issue of human rights in Morocco is not new, said Mrs. Bouayach.

After the experience of transitional justice, which was ranked among the most successful experiences in the world, and after the adoption of the new Constitution which guarantees the basic rights of citizens through 60 chapters of its 180, Morocco moved to another stage; a stage of implementation and consolidation.

Therefore, independent institutions were elected where the exercises of popular sovereignty should be made.

Mrs. Bouayach also stated that the level of interaction between Morocco, as a party to the fundamental human rights conventions, and international human rights mechanisms is a translation of the firm and irreversible commitment to respect international human rights standards.

On the other hand, Mrs. Bouayach affirmed that according to the new law on its organization, the CNDH was processing the establishment of three human rights mechanisms; namely the National Mechanism for the Preventive of Torture, the National Complaint Mechanism for Children Victims of Violations of Their Rights and the National Mechanism for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In her presentation, Mrs. Bouayach also added that the CNDH is cooperating and interacting with non-governmental actors and other democratic institutions, including the Parliament. Moreover, the CNDH’s Chairperson highlighted the role played by the CNDH in the harmonization of national legislation with international standards.

Concerning the rights of women, Mrs. Bouayach welcomed the entry into force of the law against violence against women in Morocco, which enabled the prosecution of persons accused of harassment and recognized marital rape.

She also emphasized the competences of the Commission for the Prevention of All Forms of Discrimination that is provided by the Moroccan Constitution which aims to strengthen the legal and institutional array towards the promotion of women’s rights.

On the issue of migration, Mrs. Bouayach addressed the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).  As the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families is not ratified by a majority of countries, the GCM, although it is non-binding, constitutes an additional and valuable instrument to protect migrants, said the CNDH’s Chairperson.

Within the same context, Mrs. Bouaych stated that Morocco and the African Union signed, on the side line of the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration in Marrakech, an agreement on establishing the headquarter of the African Observatory for Migration in Rabat. This observatory will analyse, collect and exchange information on migration. It will also develop and facilitate coordination between African countries on migration issues.

This Hearing session was attended by Mrs. Liliane Pasquier, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mrs. Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) and Mrs. Katrin Kivi, Chairperson of the Rapporteur Group on External Relations of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE (GR-EXT).

This meeting was a part of a working visit that the CNDH’s President made on 23 and 24 January 2019 in Strasbourg during which she had interviews with different European leaders.