RABAT, Morocco — Nearly a year after Morocco was shocked by the suicide of a 16-year-old girl who was coerced by a judge to marry her alleged rapist, the government revealed plans to outlaw the traditional practice.

Women’s rights activists welcomed Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid’s announcement but said it was only a first step in reforming a penal code that doesn’t do enough to stop violence against women in this North African kingdom.