Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Women and Children Exposed to or Vulnerable to Extremism and Violent Extremism in Morocco

In response, and with the generous funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Hedayah launched a holistic, multi-year program in 2021 to ensure the effective rehabilitation and reintegration of women and children. The program ultimately seeks to undermine the influence of extremist groups and reduce the risk of re-engagement with extremism and violent extremism within Morocco.

Implemented in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of Detainees (MVI), the program focuses on three vital areas:

Economic Empowerment: The program focused on providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for vulnerable women, empowering them to rebuild their lives and reintegrate meaningfully into their communities. To this end, participants received vocational training in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Morocco, and ongoing business mentorship activities, across various sectors. This included modern sewing and tailoring, patisseries, essential oils, and more. Additionally, Hedayah conducted on-site field visits to income-generating activities to assess progress and identify further areas requiring additional support.

Capacity Strengthening for Social Workers: The program focused on enhancing the capacity of social workers from the MVI Foundation and civil society organizations (CSOs) to develop collaborative reintegration frameworks and deliver mentorship, psychosocial, and practical support to women beneficiaries. This included supporting them through what is known as the ‘accompaniment’ process. From 2021 onwards, Hedayah has conducted several capacity-building workshops for the Mohammed VI Foundation’s social workers, particularly focusing on enhancing their efforts in identifying early signs of radicalization, engaging the role of families, and providing additional forms of psycho-social support.

In 2024, Hedayah conducted training workshops in Marrakech and Tangier to equip practitioners and social workers from the local civil society organizations (CSOs) and the MVI foundation with essential skills and knowledge to effectively address reintegration challenges. This successfully built on previous years of programming to further strengthen the country’s national capabilities. Additionally, Hedayah introduced its Toolkit on Best Practices for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Minors to the staff of MVI Foundation to ensure the additional support can be extended to vulnerable children, many of whom have experienced trauma and conflict abroad.

Standardizing Best Practices: Hedayah is working with the MVI Foundation to develop a Manual of Standard Operating Procedures, specifically focusing on the aftercare of women in the Moroccan context.

This initiative reflects Hedayah’s commitment to strengthening local systems and delivering inclusive, evidence-based, tailored, and gender-sensitive support. Hedayah’s work within Morocco remains ongoing, with sustained efforts to enhance broader community resilience, counter extremism and violent extremism, and continued efforts to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, from the enduring impacts of exposure to extremist groups’ influence.

The three-year program successfully concluded in March 2025, marking a significant milestone in its implementation and impact. Building on the outcomes and lessons learned, Hedayah, with ongoing support from the FCDO, is in the process of launching a three-year extension of the program to sustain and expand its impact.