CChapter 3: Comparative analysis of nationality laws affect the child’s enjoyment of Moroccan nationality if the mother is a Moroccan national, in practice it may contribute to a situation in which the competent authorities do not recognise the child in question as Moroccan. Similar challenges arise in the MENA region more widely in the context of the registration of births and recognition of nationality of children born out of wedlock. In Iraq, for example, women have enjoyed the right to pass their nationality to their children since a reform of the nationality law in 2006, but problems remain with regard to illegitimate children. The repercussions of an unmarried woman approaching the authorities to register a child can be severe, including the possibility of imposition of a criminal penalty. As such, she may decide not to register the birth or, when attempting to initiate the procedure, she may be turned away by the authorities. The social stigma attached to extra-marital children in much of the MENA region can indeed present a major hurdle to the registration of these births and may lead to difficulties establishing nationality for those concerned. Moreover, although many MENA countries have special provisions to allow women to confer nationality on their children if the father is unknown or his paternity has not been substantiated204 – designed to protect children, including those born 204 - In those states which have yet to recognise, more broadly, the right of women to pass nationality to their children. 155