Advocating for Migrant Communities in Morocco

In recent years, the Souss-Massa region of Morocco has become a focal point for many foreign migrants, who live in precarious humanitarian conditions on the fringes of public services and protection systems. Many migrants have reported difficulties in accessing information on navigating public services, as well as facing discrimination when attempting to use these services. For instance, those who are unable to provide IDs or passports are refused access to healthcare services in public hospitals. Additionally, there is often a lack of awareness among local authorities about the services and rights legally available to migrant communities.

The Collective of Sub-Saharan Communities in Morocco (CCSM) is a migrant-led nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the rights of migrants and promoting their integration in Morocco. CCSM’s mission is rooted in advocating for migration policy reforms, providing essential support to ensure the protection of migrants’ social, economic, and cultural rights, and raising awareness of said rights and resources within migrant communities. Their initiative, ‘Access to Migrants’ Rights in the Souss-Massa Region’, is supported through the advocacy and public engagement grant of MRG’s Minorities Accountability and Civic Space programme.

Advocating for Policy Change

A key component of CCSM’s work is political advocacy. Recognizing the critical importance of integrating migration into public programs, CCSM has been engaging with local authorities in the Souss-Massa region since the year 2016, though it has greatly intensified its efforts in recent months as part of its latest initiative. The organization’s primary goal is to raise awareness among these authorities about the essential role that migrant inclusion plays in effective and sustainable migration management. They advocate for public policies that are both inclusive and responsive to migrant communities’ needs.

To this end, CCSM recently organized a roundtable discussion involving government representatives, migration experts, and civil society members to discuss local policies and necessary changes to facilitate access to education, civil registration, healthcare, and employment for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the rural areas of Souss-Massa. The insights and recommendations generated from this roundtable, along with those gathered from focus groups with migrant communities, will be compiled into a policy paper. This document will present specific recommendations for integrating a more equitable, secure, and people-centered approach into public policies, ensuring that the needs of migrants are comprehensively addressed and serving as a roadmap for more inclusive governance.               

CCSM plans to lead a training seminar for local officials to deepen their understanding of migration-related issues and the rights of migrant minorities. This initiative aims to equip officials with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively support migrant communities and uphold their rights.

Promoting Equitable Access to Public Services

Beyond advocacy, CCSM is working to promote the social and political rights of minoritized migrants. A central objective of their project is to ensure that migrants have equitable and non-discriminatory access to essential public services, including justice, healthcare, education and civil registration.

A significant issue identified as a priority by both the migrant communities and CCSM is the ability of parents to register their children born in Morocco in the civil registry. The administrative obstacles faced by migrant parents in this process result in many children being unable to obtain birth certificates and proper documentation, which in turn impacts their ability to access public services, including school enrollment. CCSM advocates for more flexible access to education for migrant children, emphasizing that it is a fundamental right of all children.

CCSM also highlights the rights of migrant workers, particularly those employed in vulnerable sectors like agriculture, who often find themselves in precarious and exploitative work environments that do not respect labor laws. The organization is working to ensure that these workers are treated with dignity and that their rights are protected.

By Us, For Us: Empowering Migrant Communities

CCSM’s work is collaborative, involving close partnerships with local civil society organizations and active participation from migrant communities and community leaders in the Souss-Massa region. The organization regularly conducts focus groups and workshops with migrant communities to understand the challenges they face in accessing public services, their specific needs, and their recommendations for improvement.

One participant in these workshops shared that the experience of taking part in this action ‘makes them feel less alone’ and helps them connect with organizations and community initiatives available in the region. This connection is particularly vital given that most official documents and information are only available in Arabic, a language that many migrants do not speak or read fluently.

The organization believes that empowering migrant communities to know their rights is a crucial aspect of advocacy. To this end, they are working on publishing a document that maps existing public services, such as healthcare and administrative support, which migrants can access in the region. This resource will also highlight civil society organizations and migrant-led community initiatives that support and facilitate migrant integration.

According to CCSM, local civil society organizations ‘play a crucial role in integration in Morocco by facilitating the reception of new arrivals and promoting intercultural understanding. They perform valuable work by assisting governments, and even stepping in for them, through their guidance and support during the integration processes.’

By establishing strong partnerships and collaboration between local authorities and civil society organizations, and by strengthening the capacities of representatives of migrant communities in the region, CCSM is hoping to support them to become agents of change in their communities, thereby promoting a sustainable, grassroots approach to social inclusion.

Featured image: A workshop with the migrant community. Credit: CCSM.