Home Institution
Ithaca College & St. Michael’s College
Publication Date
Spring 2014
The Pitch
In Morocco, Illegitimate Children Struggle for Rights
153 illegitimate children are born in Morocco every day. These children, born to unwed mothers, are among the lowest ranks of society. They live without an education, healthcare or the possibility of official employment. Legally, illegitimate children have no rights. They cannot have their identities recognized without a mother registering them with a marriage license as proof of a legal sexual relationship. The Penal Code punishes any couple with relations out of wedlock and parents who do not register their children with the state risk imprisonment.
This story describes and documents the daily struggle of life without identity in Morocco, focusing on two specific cases. We introduce Khadija, a young homeless mother of four, and Aziza Kanzi, a 39-year-old with five unregistered children living in a slum just outside the capital city of Rabat.
The story is accompanied by a photo essay of Kanzi and her children in their home.
External Link
http://www.trust.org/item/20150402163534-qousp/
Disciplines
Journalism Studies
Recommended Citation
Woolf, Rachel and Kopchik, Lauren, "In Morocco, Illegitimate Children Struggle for Rights" (2014). Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media. 6.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/moj/6
Program Name
Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media