The BIGGER movement strives to end child marriage in Morocco

A new grassroots movement has launched with an ambitious goal: closing legal loopholes to child marriage in Morocco by 2025. Launched by Moroccan association, Project Soar, in collaboration with Rabat-based advocacy group Mobilizing for Rights Associates (MRA), the Building a Greater Girls’ Rights Movement (BIGGER Movement) is training and mobilizing at risk teen girls to lobby policy makers and stakeholders for modifications of Articles 20 and 21 of the Family Code that allow for child marriage.

Since 2015, Project Soar has provided comprehensive rights and empowerment programming to teen girls in rural or semi-rural areas who are most at risk of child marriage. Living on less than 10 MAD/day on average, with Project Soar’s help, girls stay in school at a rate of 99%, and 100% who took the Bac 2 last year passed. Virtually no Soar Girls marry underage. As part of the Girls Not Brides global coalition, Project Soar won the 2019 With and For Girls Award in recognition of its impactful work. Project Soar is active in over 30 locations across Morocco.

The BIGGER Movement will support marginalized teen girls in Morocco to advocate against child marriage, lobbying for amendments to Articles 20 and 21 of the Family Code, which allow children to marry under certain circumstances. In the last 18 years, the rate of girl brides has dramatically increased in Morocco, proving that the Family Code is not adequately protecting its children from this damaging practice. Currently nearly 1 in 6 girls marry underage.

“Morocco has done so much to limit child marriage but we still notice many girls remaining victims, many of them have even given birth or miscarried and they have many problems. Therefore, we will try to fight child marriage.” - Marwa, 15 years Soar Girl from Ouarzazate

BIGGER will involve a series of vital activities: intensive advocacy training for teen girls to equip them with the skills to engage policymakers and act as community catalysts for change to mobilize against child marriage, plus community dialogues across the country to combat child marriage, a series of trips to Rabat by teen girl leaders to put forward specific amendments to the Family Code to close legal loopholes to child marriage, and an online survey and social media campaign to positively engage Moroccan citizens on this issue.

“The BIGGER movement aims to end child marriage, helping girls stay in school, reach their full potential, and contribute to a modern and properous Morocco. All of Morocco will get ahead when more girls finish their education and go on to become scientists, business leaders, teachers and every other career. Child marriage is a terrible waste of their potential. Everyone should mobilize to protect children, the country’s most precious resource.” - Maryam Montague, Project Soar Executive Director + Ashoka Fellow

“Governments have the obligation to prevent gender based violence and protect women from such violence. However studies have shown that the majority of underage girls who are married then suffer multiple forms of domestic violence from their husbands and in laws. Morocco should close the loopholes to end child marriage as part of its commitment to fight violence against women.” - Stephanie Willman Bordat, MRA Founding Partner

Want to be part of the BIGGER Movement and help End Child Marriage? Sign our petition here!

For more information or to arrange interviews or site visits, please contact Ibtissam Bousbibit at ibtissam@projectsoar.org