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Morocco takes steps to integrate migrants into society

June 28, 2014 at 10:42 am

The ministry of Moroccans living abroad and migration affairs signed on Friday a number of partnership agreements with NGOs and government sectors aimed at helping migrants and asylum applicants integrate into society, Anadolu news agency said.

The agreements came six months after a new policy regarding migration begun in Morocco. According to the new policy, the country decided to regularise thousands of illegal migrants and a number of asylum applicants.

The minister of Moroccans living abroad and migration affairs Anis Birou said: “This step expresses the new policy of the country which is based on regularising all illegal migrants, from any origin.”

Birou noted that this measure represents a model in the regional and international arena for accepting others.

It is worth noting that large numbers of illegal migrants arrive in Morocco from the countries of the South Desert passing to Europe, mainly Spain. Most of them stay in the county and their numbers are estimated between 25,000 and 45,000.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly called for improving their lives as they live in inhumane conditions in jungles near border areas.

Morocco decided to take measures towards improving the situation of human rights and migrants based on a royal decree issued at the beginning of this year in wake of the publication of a governmental human rights report last September on this issue.