H.E. Latifa Jbabdi
Morocco
Written by Student Fellow, Helah Robinson
Edited by Global Grants Manager, Melysa Sperber &
Global Network Communications Coordinator, Alyson Wise
“Investing in women’s empowerment would be an investment in Morocco’s future,” and for over 3 decades Dr. Latifa Jbabdi has fought to do just that.
In 1987, as President of the Women’s Action Union (UAF), Dr. Jbabdi focused her efforts on reforming the Moudawana, Morocco’s Islamic family code. Laws on fundamental issues related to marriage, childbearing, and divorce “enshrined Moroccan women as second-class citizens.” Classified as minors, the law mandated that women take a vow of obedience to their husbands and further denied them many rights commonly granted to men.
“Our goal was to raise awareness, especially among rural women, that widespread poverty, illiteracy, and even domestic violence stemmed from the Moudawana.”
Initially, Dr. Jbabdi used a secular approach to modernize the code and grant women the inherent human rights they deserve. However, her perspective changed one day when she encountered a religious fundamentalist who confronted her for being an “infidel.” The incident challenged Dr. Jbabdi to consider whether Islam expressly undermined women’s rights Dr. Jbabdi was unconvinced; indeed she believed women could draw strength and inspiration from Islam. From this point forward she worked with her colleagues to implement a new approach.
“We began taking classes and studying the Koran. We read the text from a woman’s perspective and undertook a sort of ‘taking back’ of our Islamic heritage. We found many Koranic verses that stress equality and human rights. We realized that Islamic Sharia is based on a set of guiding principles, not on preconceived judgments…[and] we wanted to show people that the Moudawana was not so sacred like the Koran, but rather secular law that should be open to debate.”
Dr. Jbabdi spearheaded the UAF’s efforts to reform Morrocco’s family code for over 35 years. Finally in October 2003, Dr. Jbabdi realized the culmination of the campaign’s efforts when King Mohammed VI considered – for the first time in nearly a half century – undertaking major reforms to the nation’s family code. With the King’s support, the campaign to reform the Moudawana succeeded in, among other things, raising the minimum age of marriage for girls from 15 to 18, restricting polygamy, and rescinding the policy of a wife’s duty of obedience to her spouse. The far-reaching legal reforms, all passed in 2004, also established joint spousal responsibility of the family, extended the right to divorce to women, and allowed women to petition for custody of their children. Celebrated as a great and much needed victory, the reforms surpassed many activists’ expectations.
“Through the new Family Code, my country has achieved a peaceful revolution for women… I want the people of Morocco to know that our new law is not only a victory for women, but also for the family, society, and generations to come.”
While the reformed code is a milestone for Moroccan society, implementing the new laws in rural parts of the country has been difficult.
“My goal now is to spread the word to some of the most remote areas of Morocco –– to illiterate men and women who have little access to objective information about the Moudawana reforms, and little ability to obtain legal assistance.”
Dr. Jbabi continues to offer recommendations to the government in Morocco on how best to amend the new family code, particularly in isolated communities. By aiding efforts to properly implement the laws, she is not only extending the application of the code but acceptance of it as well. In so doing, Dr. Jbabdi is building a foundation of positive social norms that support the betterment of women and improve their quality of life.
Since 2004, Dr. Jbabdi has worked tirelessly to achieve similar legal reform accomplishments in other areas of the law challenging women’s rights. Most recently, she concentrated on improving women’s representation in local government. Dr. Jbabdi was instrumental to forging a coalition that negotiated the passage of a new law guaranteeing women better representation. Again, the legislative outcome defied many expectations.
While she has witnessed much improvement in Morocco, Dr. Jbabdi points out that more remains to be done. She continues to be fully committed to many new programs and projects that hold great promise for the future.
Recognizing her success in changing social norms and political ideologies, Vital Voices honored Dr. Jbabdi at the annual Global Leadership Awards in 2005. She currently serves on the Vital Voices Global Advisory Council, which provides strategic guidance on Vital Voices’ programmatic and advocacy activities.
In September 2007, Dr. Jbabdi conquered another milestone in her struggle for women’s rights and equality. Moroccans elected her to Parliament, where she could use her capacity as a grassroots legislative advocate to inform her agenda as a legislator.
Leveraging her firsthand experience as an advocate and policymaker, Dr. Jbabdi has joined Vital Voices as a senior advisor on “Women Leaders Promoting Legislative Change: Creating a Network of Women Legislative and Advocacy Leaders Across the Muslim World, a symposium planned for 2009 to provide women leaders from the Muslim world with strategic planning, communication and advocacy skills, and bring them together to share and develop best practices.
Reflecting on decades of achievement, Dr. Jbabdi is eager to share her invaluable knowledge and insights with her Muslim sisters struggling to overcome similar challenges to the ones she faced throughout her career.
"For more than 35 years, I and many of my sisters in Morocco have been planting the seeds of democracy, justice, and peace. Now finally, those seeds are beginning to bear fruit for the full empowerment of women.”
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