Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), emphasized that achieving equality between women and men fundamentally depends on ensuring effective access to justice for women and girls. “Justice should not be measured only by the existence of laws, but by their ability to protect rights and guarantee equity without fear or discrimination.”

This statement was made during her address at the launch of a CNDH initiative marking International Women's Day 2026, held on March 11, 2025. Themed “Equitable Justice: Pathways to Empowering Women and Girls to Access Justice,” the initiative is being implemented at both national and regional levels throughout the month of March.

The CNDH Chairperson highlighted that March 8 represents an important opportunity to renew collective commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls, while also casting light on the challenges hindering the achievement of full equality.

Although significant progress has been made nationally and internationally in advancing women’s rights, she stressed that the path toward full equality remains long. Women worldwide, she noted, benefit from only about 64% of the legal rights enjoyed by men, highlighting the ongoing gap between the principle of legal equality and its practical implementation.
“Equitable justice is our slogan this year because justice is not confined to legal texts. It is reflected in the ability to ensure equal access to rights, protect them when violated, combat impunity, and enable victims to obtain redress,” underlined Ms. Amina Bouayach.

She pointed to several measures adopted by Morocco to improve women’s access to justice. These include the establishment of family court divisions and specialized support units for women survivors of violence within the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the courts, national police services, and the Royal Gendarmerie.

However, she underlined that the barriers women and girls face are not only legal, but also structural, social, economic, and territorial. She noted that addressing these obstacles requires a comprehensive approach that makes access to justice a shared institutional and societal priority.

In recent years, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has focused on encouraging women and girls to report violence through national and regional campaigns. The campaign held between November 2022 and November 2023, an increase in reported cases, while also revealing inconsistencies among courts in the legal classification of similar offenses.

In November 2025, the Council launched a national caravan to promote women’s rights and encourage reporting. This initiative toured Morocco’s twelve regions, helping to identify barriers to justice and raise awareness about various forms of violence, particularly digital violence, which remains widespread yet underreported due to fear of defamation and limited trust in the judicial system.

Following the launch event at CNDH’s headquarters in the Moroccan capital Rabat, the Council’s Regional Commissions will continue organizing activities across the Kingdom to foster dialogue and advocacy for equitable justice, empowerment, and full equality for all women and girls.