Mères en Ligne, a Moroccan internet radio station based in Tangier, has created a support network for single mothers in the North African kingdom. Mères en Ligne was launched in 2017 by the 100% Mamans association; single mothers host the show. They do not receive a salary, yet work for free because they believe in the cause. Too many unwed pregnant women in Morocco feel alone when going through their pregnancy. Often doctors will refuse to see them as pregnancy out of wedlock is illegal, relatives disown them, and often many cases where the biological fathers disappear occurs.
The Mères en Ligne radio show is a positive step towards promoting women’s rights in Morocco.
There is also a social stigma attached to unwed mothers and sometimes the mothers and their children are alienated from society. In Morocco, kinship to the father is only established through marriage, because legal documents to prove paternity are required. DNA tests and the legal process to obtain tests is both costly and time-consuming. Children born to unwed mothers have a hard time attending a school or receiving health benefits as children or adults.
The Mères en Ligne radio show is a positive step towards promoting women’s rights in Morocco. The Mères en Ligne radio show is a positive step towards promoting women’s rights in Morocco. Since airing, their website has received 2,500,000 visitors. Stephanie Willman Bordat, a founding partner at Mobilising for Rights Associates, said that in the case of unwed mothers ” it is important to adopt an empowering approach where the mothers speak on behalf of themselves and mobilize collectively.” Many other women advocates, however, argue that the show is just a piece of the puzzle to promote single women’s rights. It takes a long time for society to change their mental process.