Women's rights will help boost Rabat's image

Significance In a March 4 speech, former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, currently secretary-general of the Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party (PJD), threatened a million-strong march against revisions. Impacts The impact of reforms will be greater in urban settings than in rural areas, where practices such as child marriage persist. Rabat could also make more substantive progress on minority rights to boost its image. The debate over reforms could deflect some attention away from criticism of the country’s relations with Israel.