I. Key Facts

• We have begun the implementation of the Protection Resilience Migrations project: Influence and Awareness Fund, starting with a training dedicated to community relays. On this occasion, the consultant was able to provide these community relays with the necessary tools to raise awareness among migrants about access to justice services and to collect their testimonies based on their own lived experiences.

• In a second phase, we conducted two field sessions in Rabat and Salé, during which we were able to question a number of migrants who agreed to share their testimonies with us. This stage of our project allowed us to understand that migrants are very interested in our activity and have shown significant interest because they want there to be a real change in the treatment they receive in criminal and civil procedures. Indeed, during this fieldwork, we observed that most migrants do not have access to justice services; they are unable to file complaints when they are victims of criminal acts or suffer harm simply because they are not assisted in their procedures. And when they are part of a trial, whether as victims or defendants, they do not receive proper assistance from lawyers, even when they are the ones who hire and pay these lawyers. This situation is nonetheless deplorable as it prevents migrants from having the right to a fair trial, given that they can be wrongfully convicted or heavily sentenced beyond the severity of the actual offense committed.

• Lastly, we can unequivocally state that the members of the platform have been a great help to us in the realization of our project. Indeed, the President of the platform, through the various meetings we had with him, explained the outlines of the project to us in detail, and he also clarified the roles of all the actors in this project, which allowed each of us to know our tasks and what is expected of us for the success of our project. 

2. Activities and outputs 

Activity 1: Training for community relays by the consultant

Activity 2: Implementation of Field Missions in the Rabat-Salé regions by community relays under the coordination of the Council of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco with the participation and support of the project manager and the consultant.

Dates and location

For the training of community relays, it took place on May 16 and 18, 2023, in Rabat

For the field sessions, they took place on June 17, 2023, in Rabat and on June 18, 2023, in Salé

Progress of the activity

At the beginning of this project, we held meetings with all the stakeholders involved in the project to establish a program to follow in order to achieve our objectives for the first phase of the project. These meetings allowed us to better coordinate with each other. It was also an opportunity for us to go into detail about the tasks assigned to each person, especially the roles of the consultant, the project manager, and the community liaisons. All of these meetings were initiated by the council of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco and the platform. The presidents of these two organizations played an active role in the success of these meetings.

The first activity we carried out as part of this project was the training of community relays. This training was conducted by the consultant on May 16 and 18, 2023. The objective was to explain to these community relays the fundamentals of Moroccan migration law so that they would be well prepared to do fieldwork that could meet the needs of the project.

Subsequently, based on the questionnaire developed by the consultant in collaboration with the project manager, we held a meeting during which the consultant and the project manager thoroughly explained the various legal questions to be posed to migrants during the field sessions. These questions are primarily focused on access to justice in Morocco, both in criminal and civil matters. Following this, we began the fieldwork on June 16, 2023, in Rabat, and on June 18, 2023, in Salé. These field sessions were satisfactory, as we were able to obtain numerous testimonies that are relevant to our project.

Action d’influence

1- Memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, head of government, with the aim of taking into account the situation of migrants, specifically regarding access to justice, education, and basic social services

2- We also work in collaboration with the embassies of Sub-Saharan Africa in Morocco, notably the embassy of Cameroon represented by the Dean of the Sub-Saharan diplomatic corps in Morocco, the embassy of the Republic of Guinea, the embassy of Chad, and the embassy of the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)

3- We also work with certain state authorities and international NGOs such as UCLG Africa

4- The Council of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco, through its advocacy actions, collaborates with journalists in order to create communication capsules to raise awareness among authorities in general and resource persons working in the field of migration or in the fields of criminal and civil law.

5- الدعوة مع بعض أعضاء السلطة القضائية وعالم السجون من أجل احترام حقوق المهاجرين.

Description

The collaboration with the Moroccan government, sub-Saharan embassies in Morocco, journalists, NGOs, and judicial and penitentiary authorities is a necessary and essential step towards achieving the objectives of the influence and awareness fund, as their contribution would help convey the message regarding the protection of migrants' rights in Morocco, particularly concerning access to criminal and civil justice.

Result

The observed impact of our advocacy actions is precisely the awareness regarding the respect for the fundamental rights of migrant individuals in Morocco. Indeed, our advocacy efforts have helped to inform the stakeholders responsible for migration about the experiences of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco in order to improve their living conditions and facilitate their access to justice.

Défis

1- Internally: at the start of our activities and throughout our activities, the major challenge we faced was the formation of a qualified work team. Indeed, the successful execution of this project requires the full commitment of its participants; this is an essential condition for achieving the set objectives.

Leçons apprises / solutions

1- Internally: We learn that the leadership and integrity of the primary leader of any organization are necessary to achieve the objectives it sets. Indeed, the President of the Council of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco, through his responsible and ongoing involvement in the face of destabilizing situations affecting our activities, has allowed us to reach the end of this first phase of our project's implementation.

2- On the external level: The implementation of this project has brought us face to face with certain challenges, such as the lack of legal knowledge among many migrants in Morocco who do not know the procedures to assert their rights in court. Therefore, it was important for us to teach them some fundamentals of criminal law and civil law in order to help them understand the different judicial structures to approach in the event of a particular conflict arising.

2- On the external level: based on our field experience, we suggest that awareness-raising actions on migration rights in favor of migrants continue in order to further assist them in asserting their rights before Moroccan courts. This legal awareness, particularly through training workshops, is essential for better protection of migrants' rights in Morocco.