Morocco

A Dutch 'abortion boat' has set sail for Morocco, its first trip to a Muslim country, to provide abortions to women who are exposed to grave health risks if treated domestically, its organiser said on Monday. The group says that, according to figures published by the Moroccan government, between 600 and 800 abortions take place every day in the north African kingdom, where the procedure is illegal and taboo.

Morocco has blazed a reputation as a can-do country when it comes to improving its maternal health statistics. But a birth attendant in the remote Atlas Mountains shows the steeper climb that lies ahead for the country as it tries to reach rural women who live far from any health clinic, reports

Morocco's justice minister has admitted to 'several cases of abuse' by police at recent protests, a local newspaper reported, saying the government would review how such protests were dealt with by them. 'There have been several cases of abuse by the police forces of citizens' protesting,' Mustapha Ramid was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language daily Akhbar al-Youm. 'The government must review the way in which the security forces intervene, to ensure that it conforms with the law,' he adde...read more

Morocco is on target to be one of the few countries to meet the UN's goal of lowering maternal mortality by 2015, in part thanks to a strong Peace Corps program and smaller families. A woman waiting at a clinic dramatizes how things are changing, in this story from www./womensenews.org.

The Moroccan government on 2 July confirmed its decision to withdraw support for UN Western Sahara Envoy Christopher Ross. The Moroccan government had earlier announced that it had lost confidence in the UN envoy and accused him of 'biased and unbalanced guidance' in brokering unofficial talks between Morocco and the Polisario.

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