he Development Studies UNESCO Chair and the University Institute of Women's Studies have organized a workshop on human rights of women in the new Moroccan constitution, which takes place from 31 March to 4 April in the Joaquín Tomás Villarroya Room of the Faculty of Law of the University of Valencia, from 16:00 to 21:00.
Coordinated by the honorary professor of the University of Valencia Julia Sevilla and taught by Aicha Abounai, professor of Political Law at the Caddo Ayyad University of Marrakech, the workshop is part of the UNESCO Chair and its objective is to examine the importance of the development of rights in the Constitution of Morocco, as well as for women. “It seeks to increase awareness of the evolution of Moroccan society from the point of view of constitutional reforms in relation to rights and, particularly, to equality”, said the coordinator.
“Morocco has recently approved a constitutional reform, but it is interesting to see whether the constitution has “life” in everyday life, whether it has been embodied in citizenship: what is the function of political parties, of justice and how the tradition weight interferes in the enjoyment of women's right”, she adds.
The workshop, entitled ‘The constitutionalisation of human rights in the new Moroccan Constitution and its impact on the human rights situation of women in Morocco’, takes place in a context of constitutional reform, which has led to the creation of the coalition ‘Feminist spring for equality and democracy’ from the union of thirty feminist organisations.
“It is always interesting the role of women in any revolutionary movement of rights conquest. They are the ones who have to win most and, besides, it is in them where you can actually measure the rights reality because if they have them it is because they have come to everyone”, added Sevilla. In short, “the role of the feminist movement in Morocco is being decisive”, she concludes.
In addition to Morocco, the course will refer to the Maghreb countries which participated in the Arab Spring, especially Tunisia and Algeria, to focus on their career since then and, therefore, also on the women access to citizenship.
The opening ceremony of the course, Monday 31, was led by the director of the UNESCO Chair of the University of Valencia, Guillermo Palao, also executive president of the South-North Board - Cooperation and Development of the University of Valencia, which was accompanied by the dean of the Faculty of Law, María Elena Olmos; and the director of the Department of Constitutional Law, Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Valencia, Margarita Soler; and the coordinator of the course, Julia Sevilla. Soler gave the inaugural conference on ‘Citizenship and Women's Rights’. Then, the teacher of the course, Aicha Abouna, reflected on the ‘Constitutional Development in Morocco and the constitutionalization of human rights’.
The issues to be covered during the workshop are ‘History and consequences of the movement called ‘Arab spring’ in the Maghreb countries’ (Tuesday, day 1), ‘The role of political parties in the constitutional reform and the participation of civil society’ (Wednesday, day 2), ‘The constitutionalization of women's rights.
Evolution process and role of the associations: legal framework and reality. Associations of women’ (Thursday, day 3), and ‘The situation of Moroccan women after 2011: balance of a constitutionalization of human rights in general’ (Friday, day 4).
More information and programming about the course, in the link http://www.fguv.org/cursos-cooperacion
Although the seminar is specifically aimed at students of the Master’s Degree in Gender and Equality Policy, the course is open to the participation of organisations such as women's associations and the general public interested in social movements and women rights in the Maghreb countries.
The collaborators in the organisation of the seminar are the Federation of Progressive Women of the Valencian Country, the South-North Board of the University of Valencia General Foundation and the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science and Public Administration of the Faculty of Law.
Aicha Abounai (1958, Morocco)
She is doctor since 2007 in Political Sciences by the Caddo Ayyad University of Marrakech (Morocco). She is doctor since 1995 in Political Sciences by the University of Paris VII.
Currently, she is invited professor and researcher by the University of Marrakech in the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences, and collaborator with the feminist journal ‘8 de mars’.
Her research line has produced numerous articles and lectures on the role and rights of women in the Moroccan constitution. She is particularly interested in the political role of Moroccan women and the social movements that demand the active participation of women as subjects of right in the political, social and economic life of their country. She is a founding member and leader of the Group of Studies and Research on Women and Family at the University of Marrakech and a founding member of the Centre for the Tensift Region Development (Morocco). She has participated in numerous international conferences, like ‘The Arab uprisings: the Moroccan exception or illusion?’, in 2013.
Last update: 1 de april de 2014 07:39.
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