Assahafa.com
Morocco’s pioneering experience in humanizing prisons was highlighted Wednesday in Nairobi during a high-level consultative workshop of African prison service officials.
Speaking on a panel on Staff Training and the Protection of Human Rights, the Director of the Training Center for Senior Staff at the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR), Abderrahim Rahouti, stressed that Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has made the humanization of prisons the backbone of its strategy in this field. He noted that the Kingdom works tirelessly to promote the protection of vulnerable inmates and to consolidate a human rights–based approach within its prison system.
In this regard, he cited Law No. 10.23 on the organization and management of penitentiary institutions, which aims to align the national system with international standards to guarantee inmates’ dignity, security, and fundamental rights, while ensuring access to essential services.
Rahouti also recalled the adoption of the DGAPR’s Code of Conduct and Professional Obligations as a reference document establishing clear standards regarding respect for human dignity, non-discrimination, security, and reintegration. He emphasized that by instituting rules of transparency and accountability, this code of conduct serves as a foundation of trust, ensuring fair and humane treatment of inmates.
During this high-level workshop, which brought together leaders from 30 African prison institutions, Rahouti reviewed the many measures implemented by Morocco to strengthen transparency and protect inmates’ rights. These include the Prisoners’ Guide available in five languages, complaint management mechanisms, as well as the creation of reception centers and human rights and citizenship clubs within prisons.
All these reforms, he added, are part of the DGAPR’s 2022–2026 strategy, which has reinforced the humanization dimension in Morocco’s prisons.
Jointly organized by the Government of Kenya through “Kenya Prisons” (Department of Prison Services), the Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI), this high-level workshop aims to provide a platform for sharing best practices to address the major challenges facing African prison systems.
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