Meeting on the situation of women and children in prisons

Under the slogan “A woman prisoner between the reality of detention and the demands of protecting the best interests of an attached child”, the General Delegation for Prison Management and Reintegration organized today, Friday, in the local prison of Ait Mellul, 2 national meetings for women prisoners at its fourth session in presence of General Delegate Mohamed Saleh Tamek and Governor of the Souss Massa Region, Inesgane Worker Ait Mellul, President of the Region, President of the Inesgane Court of First Instance, its Prosecutor, Regional Commander of the Gendarmerie, Chief of Agadir Security, Adviser to the Minister of Justice, President of the National Council for Human Rights, Secretary General of the Mohammed Ulam League, Representative of Mohammed VI Prisoner Reintegration Fund, many human rights activists and association activists, and other civilian and military figures.

In his speech on behalf of the General Delegate for Prison Management and Reintegration, Kautar Al-Ragai said that the meeting is taking place in the context of celebrating the international campaign “16 Days of Action to Combat Gender Violence”, which is an occasion for the Delegate General as part of his ongoing work to provide women prisoners the opportunity to participate in various demonstrations, as well as in national and international events. This case also provides an opportunity to draw attention to the category of prisoners who are bound and whose privacy requires consideration of their situation within the framework of the implementation of the positive discrimination approach and the uniqueness of the treatment of them and their children.

Recognizing the importance of women’s economic empowerment and combating various types of violence and stereotypes that devalue their role, the General Delegation, along with the rest of the public sectors, has participated in various relevant national plans. It also emphasizes the importance of female prisoners in penitentiary institutions at the level of their activities and educational programs and at the level of supervision in the field of gender, by training female employees in the field of psychological and social confidentiality. women prisoners,” the spokeswoman said.

With regard to the situation of the children of female prisoners, Kausar Al-Ragai pointed out that “there is no doubt that when the legislator gave special care to the prisoner, he also sought to include this care in the child accompanying her, in order to ensure that his best interests were preserved and the continuity of maternal ties; However, the achievement of this goal has given the General Delegation special tasks and made additional efforts by providing special facilities for the category of prisoners and their children, in which various conditions are met to ensure the healthy and complete upbringing of children.

As for Fatima Barkan, Advisor to the Minister of Justice, she considered the topic of this national meeting relevant and important. “Because it concerns two categories to which the state provides its protection.”

And she, adviser to the Minister of Justice, continued by saying: “The prison is no longer reserved for men, but unfortunately women have a share in it, as there are a total of 2,898 female prisoners in Moroccan prisons until the end of last year. October, at a rate of 2.44 percent of the prison population up to the same date is 98,277. The percentage of women in prison indicates the development of feminist crime in Moroccan society.

As for the types of crimes committed by women in Morocco, they vary, according to Fatima Barkan, from what can be considered acts of self-defense, especially when a man resorts to violent and violent means against a woman, so she also resorts to sharp means in order to take revenge , especially in cases of evidence of infidelity and others related to marital life, in addition to committing criminal acts in order to obtain material gain, in addition to women and girls entering an independent life in search of better conditions, others also use tricks to commit their crimes in order to obtain material gain .

In numbers, according to an adviser to the Minister of Justice, “In 2020, there were 3,422 drug-related offenses against women, and 791 criminal prosecutions against women for offenses of beating and wounding. crimes committed using information media, 81 criminal prosecutions were initiated during the same year, from which we conclude. With him, the development of crime touched to a large extent the feminist element, which, in turn, began to adapt to the development of crime and its multiplicity of ways.

With regard to the attention of the Moroccan legislator to the category of female prisoners, “Chapter 32 of the Criminal Code provides that if a woman’s pregnancy is proven for more than 6 months, then the sentence against her is not carried out until 40 days after giving birth, and if she was in custody at the time of sentencing, she shall benefit from the provisional detention system” for the required period. Chapter 33 of the same law provides that if a man and his wife are convicted, even of different crimes, they cannot be deprived of their liberty at the same time, taking into account the fact that they have children in their care and other procedures in order to integrate them after release.