[adapated from GlobalPost] This article states that in Morocco, when family land is sold, the unmarried or widowed women in the family, collectively called the Soulaliyate, often become destitute.
When Rkia Bellot’s family sold their communal land in 2004, each of her eight brothers received a share of the proceeds. But Bellot, a single woman, got nothing. In response Bellot, now 66, wanting a better fate for herself, launched a campaign against the practice with the help of a national NGO. Her fight to win ownership rights for women has emboldened fellow Soulaliyate to take on Morocco’s male-dominated judicial system and ancient traditions.
“Morocco finds itself in a very contradictory position,” Bellot said. “On one hand the kingdom has signed all of the international conventions that call on men and women’s equality. And, on the other hand, we still encounter cases like this where women have no right to their own lands.”
In 2007 Bellot organized a protest of 500 women in front of Parliament . Finally, three years later, she saw results when the Ministry of the Interior issued a circular — a government order — that instructed tribal leaders to recognize the rights of Soulaliyate women to receive money when their family’s communal lands were sold.
Bellot and her colleagues’ successes have drawn international attention. On a recent visit to Morocco, Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of the UN Women’s Program, delivered a special address to the Soulaliyate women. “You, the Soulaliyates, succeeded in mobilizing the media and public opinion against the violation of your rights. I congratulate you for obtaining official recognition of women’s rights,” she said.
But according to many Soulaliyate women like Innouch, there is still much more to be done. Many communities have ignored the circular from the Department of the Interior and continue patriarchal inheritance practices. The solution, says Bellot, will not come without political will from the government and she says she will not stop until the government acts.
You can view the original article on the Global Post website here