Accompany
Detainees

Country Offices

SAM Morocco
 

Political Developments The political scene remained relatively stable with no serious challenges to the central role of the king, Mohammed VI. The Moroccan parliament remained weak due to the continued prominence of the monarch in decision making processes, the root of considerable public disaffection. The country remained hindered by financial constraints throughout 2008, with a widening of the budget deficit, and an economic decline - this too a source of public discontent. As in previous years, clashes continued between Moroccan police forces and illegal immigrants, largely concentrated around the border fence of the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Moroccan officials vehemently denied reports that irregular migrants were being deported to the Algerian border, claiming that a reliable repatriation scheme with other African countries was in place. Such claims were dimissed by migrants and migrant defence lawyers alike, stating that migrants continued to be deported by the dozen to the border town of Oujda. Lawyers and humanitarian organisations continued to point to consistent violations of Morocco’s 2003 law on immigration. Racial tensions between the local population and Sub-Saharan migrants persisted, and, coupled with unemployment rates, this made it difficult for migrants to find work.

JRS Activities
In July 2008, JRS Europe began work in Morocco, with the ‘Service Accueil Migrantes’ (SAM) project. The project was led by Fr Josep Lluís Iriberri SJ, and advances JRS’ accompaniment work on externalisation of asylum through the assistance of migrant women and children who, through one way or another, have come to be stranded in Casablanca.

In 2008, the principal beneficiaries of the SAM project were vulnerable sub-Saharan migrants enroute to Europe. The project assisted these migrants on a number of levels. A creche was provided for infants, with the women given the opportunity to take part in embroidery, hairdressing and handicraft lessons. Childcare classes and French and English language classes were also provided.

To dissuade the women from begging for money on the streets, they were encouraged to start ‘micro-projects’, where they could sell the items they produced with SAM in the local marketplace. By the year’s end, 55 women had taken on a ‘micro-project’.

A kindergarten was put in operation for minors, where they could take part in various educational activities, with the opportunity of picking up basic language, writing and mathematical skills.

The project was operated in cooperation with MSF, Caritas, and the Spanish Jesuit Migration Network (SJM).