Moroccan youth facing addiction, unemployment, and exclusion
A new report from the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights has exposed the harsh realities facing Moroccan youth, warning that immediate intervention might be needed to bring them back from the brink.
The study, reported by Lakome2Â on August 20, highlights the disconnect between academic credentials and the labor market. 67 percent of working youth currently remain in the informal sector, working precarious jobs that offer little security.
The numbers reflect an imbalance that the kingdom has long struggled to manage. Morocco generates roughly 240,000 new jobs annually, yet 350,000 young people enter the labor market each year.
Political participation is similarly low. By March 2024, only 20% of registered voters were youth, even as their representation in elected bodies and party leadership remains negligible. The report argues that this disengagement reveals a need for the inclusion of youth in policymaking.
The education system was also scrutinized. plagued by overcrowding, high dropout rates, weak vocational training, and university shortcomings ranging from misalignment with job-market needs to nepotism, lack of spatial equity, and constraints on student organizations.
Perhaps in part due to this negligence, suicide rates are climbing, and drug use has become widespread. In 2023, 9.4% of youth aged 15–24 admitted to using cannabis at least once, while hospitalizations for hard drugs soared by 47% between 2018 and 2023, a trend reinforced by the 2025 UN Report on Drugs and Crime.
Adding to the strain, irregular migration continues to surge, propelled by youth-led desperation over joblessness, exclusion, and frustration. The league demands a comprehensive strategy seeded in social development and expanded local opportunities.
In response, the League offers a series of recommendations: overhaul youth-focused policies, guarantee decent work, and establish a Youth and Community Action Advisory Council. This is aimed at integrating young people to help them escape cycles of addiction, crime, and violence.
Lakome/ Maghrebi
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