· Zouhir ADAOUI
On 26 June 2026, the Observatoire National de la Criminalité (ONC), established within the Ministry of Justice, officially launched the national multidisciplinary study "Children in contact with the penal system in Morocco: a multidisciplinary diagnosis and levers for reform". The launch was held at the Institut National des Greffes et des Professions Juridiques et Judiciaires in Technopolis, Salé, in partnership with the UNICEF Morocco Country Office and with the support of the European Union.
ZATMAC has been appointed as the research firm responsible for carrying out the study, working with the multidisciplinary team of academic experts presented at the launch, which brings together law, criminology, psychology, sociology, and education sciences under university scientific supervision.
The ONC conducts the study under its annual work programme, in line with the mandate conferred by article 51-3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as amended by law no. 03.23. It comes at a time of sustained legislative activity: the entry into force of the new Code of Criminal Procedure, law no. 43.22 on alternative sentences, and law no. 29.24 establishing the National Child Protection Agency.
The study covers seven regions selected to reflect the country's territorial, demographic, and social diversity: Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Casablanca-Settat, l'Oriental, Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma, Souss-Massa, Marrakech-Safi, and Béni Mellal-Khénifra. It combines documentary analysis, institutional data, quantitative and qualitative surveys, interviews with the actors concerned, and validation workshops.
Its findings are expected to inform prevention of juvenile delinquency, strengthen support and reintegration mechanisms for children in contact with the law, and document territorial disparities, in support of the reforms under way in specialised criminal justice and child protection.
For more information: https://onc.justice.gov.ma/fr/articles/onc-etude-enfants-justice-penale-maroc-2026-
