“A MEMORY FOR THE FUTURE”: AWARENESS DAYS IN HAY MOHAMMADI ON THE COMMUNITY REPARATION PROGRAM

The coordination unit of the community reparation program in Hay Mohammadi (district in Casablanca), supported by the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) organized awareness days on the program on the theme “a memory for the future”, from 5 to 7 November 2010.

These awareness days aimed to make the population of the district, in which Derb Moulay Chrif secret detention centre is located, aware of the objectives and projects of the Program.

Several activities were scheduled during these days: a presentation on the community reparation program, the story of the District (Hay Mohammadi) for children, a medical caravan, a concert to be performed by 4 bands of the District, a football competition, projection of movies on human rights and a debate on the realizations and perspectives of the community reparation program.

These activities were organized by the associations of the coordination units of the community reparation program in Hay Mohammadi: the Forum of Essaada Hay Mohammadi, Women Development Association, the Urban Initiative Association, the Moroccan Association for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, Hay Mohammadi Youth House, Handicap Al Amal Association, the Association of Chouala for Education and Culture and Casamémoire. They are organized in partnership with the delegations of the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Health, National Mutual Aid, Hay Mohammadi Ain Sebaa Prefecture and the District of Hay Mohammadi.

The community reparation program was launched in 2007. It is implemented within the framework of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations. It targets areas that were victims of past grave human rights violations. It aims to achieve reconciliation and restore trust and confidence in the State and its institutions.

The Program aims at the positive preservation of memory, rehabilitation of detention places, reconciliation with the space, reinsertion, entrenchment and promotion of human rights and citizenship culture, encouragement of the participative approach between local stakeholders, integration of the social gender in the reconciliation process and ensuring the non-repetition of the past grave human rights violations.

The Program seeks to realize a number of projects to participate in the development of the targeted areas and preserve memory. It aims to entrench the spirit of collective reparation and achieve local governance through supporting and strengthening capacities of local stakeholders. It targets several provinces and communes: Al Hoceima, Azilal, Errachidia, Figuig, Hay Mohammadi-Ain-Sbaa (Casablanca), Khemisset, Khenifra, Nador, Ouarzazate, Tan Tan and Zagora.

Projects realized within the framework of the community reparation program revolve around four main axes: capacity building of local stakeholders, positive preservation of memory, improvement of standards of living (services, open-up, income generating activities and environmental protection) and the promotion of women and children’s situation.