Analysis of the Human Rights Situation

Name of Organization: 
Humanist Committee on Human Rights (HOM)
Geographical Scope: 
Type of Initiatives:
Country
Regions:
  • Arab States
Country:
  • Morocco
Purpose: 
Identify and analyze the problems relating to human rights in Morocco. Morocco is one of the case studies in the Human Rights Impact Assessment Programme (HRIA) developed by the Humanist Committee on Humans Rights (HOM). It was the first State with a National Action Plan (NAP) was drawn up, in order to assess the human rights situation.
 
HOM largely followed the outline of the Danish Institute for Human Rights in their 'Human Rights Indicators 2000: Country data and methodology'. The Moroccan case is envisaged to contribute to a coherent analysis on the basis of sound methodology in other future NAP.
 
The purpose of the study was to serve as a guide for the European Union's policy on Morocco within the context of the Barcelona Process.
 
The main finding particularly relevant was that many of the violations can be traced back to problems that occur in a variety of areas (economic, social, cultural, political etc.), so the previous assumption of the EU, which was that policy should be focused on the economic and financial pillar as economic growth will positively contribute to solving human rights problems, is incorrect.
 
On the contrary, HOM's analysis shows that many of the violations can be traced back to problems which are not of an economic nature. The study is also of particular interest as it seeks to test a number of tools for the formulation of baseline studies and indicators.
Area of Governance : 
Human Rights
Website of initiative: 
http://www.humanrightsimpact.org/case-studies/item/casestudy/2/
Publications: 
Marike Radstaake & Jan de Vries, 'Reinvigorating human rights in the Barcelona Process': using Human Rights Impact Assessment to enhance mainstreaming of human rights.
 
An introduction to Human Rights Impact Assessment and a search for a more systematic approach to human rights analysis, taking the human rights situation in Morocco as an example, Humanist Committee on Human Rights, 2004.
Source of Data: 
Using other existing sources of data
Type of Data Collection: 
Performance assessment / Desk studies
Secondary sources
Specifications of type of data collection: 
Sources:
 
  1. 'Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2002', US Department of State, March 31, 2003;
  2. Amnesty International Annual Report 2003 and relevant documentation from 1-1-2002 until 1-2-2004;
  3. Human Rights Watch relevant documentation from 1-1-2002 until 1-2-2004. There was no annual report in those years;
  4. Fedération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme relevant documentation from 1-1-2002 until 1-2-2004; - Committee Against Torture, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances.
  5. Human Development Report 2003; -Social Watch 2003 report on Morocco;
  6. Understanding Children's Work reports on Morocco (2003);
  7. Progress of the World's Women report 2002.
Measurement Methods / Tools Generated or Used : 

Combination of different methods of measuring human rights situation; cualitative analysis of each indicator (the point of departure of the analysis was to discern a number of problems from a number of sources and analyse these problems in a systematic way).

List of Indicators: 
  • Formal commitment: - ratification of international and regional instruments; reservations to those instruments; inclusion of human rights standards in a National Bill of Rights.
  • Violations of civil and political rights: extrajudicial killings and disappearances; torture and ill treatment; arbitrary arrest and detention; unfair trial; denial of participation in the political process; denial of the freedom of association; denial of the freedom of expression; discrimination.
  • Respect, protection and fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights: labour rights; right to education; right to health; right to water.
  • Children's rights: child labour; child abuse; street children; education.
  • Gender discrimination: discrimination in the law; discrimination in education; freedom of participation.
Main Users: 
Donor agencies
International agencies
Policy makers
Researchers