Morocco

The CRC noted in 2014 that in Morocco, unmarried mothers could transmit their names to their children only if the father gave his consent. Morocco recognized that the Civil Status Act implies that surnames are transmitted through the father. The government claimed that the Act allows for the possibility of a single mother registering her child and giving the child her surname. However, a 2015 civil society submission pointed out that children can only be registered under their mother’s surname if her father or brother authorizes it.
A woman who gives birth out of wedlock risks both social stigma and imprisonment (unless it was an “accidental” pregnancy from rape). In 2023, the Moroccan family law stipulated that for a marriage between a foreign man and Moroccan muslim woman to be recognized the man must convert to Islam. Additionally, Morocco received a 2023 UPR recommendation to end discrimination against and criminalization of single mothers, guarantee legal recognition of children born outside of marriage, and introduce DNA paternity tests.