Criticism Over Law Change Limiting Egyptian Women’s Rights

Date: 05 March 2021 - 21:25

News ID: ۸۸۲۳۱

CAIRO (Al Jazeera) – About 50 women’s organizations in Egypt have published a statement laying out basic principles regarding women’s legal rights amid growing controversy over a proposed bill to amend the country’s personal status law.
The statement, which was also signed by more than 100 individuals, came in response to local media reports that the Egyptian parliament will discuss a bill aimed at changing women’s rights and responsibilities around divorce and marriage.
The signatories agreed that five basic principles must be protected, including that any amendment must rely on the Egyptian constitution and human rights principles at its core.
It also called on lawmakers to ensure the law regarded women as having full legal capacity, thereby giving them equal rights and duties within family law as men.
Regarding marriage, the statement said the law should ensure that divorce is legalized only through a judge and that polygamy be allowed only through a judge’s authorization following permission from a man’s first wife.
Finally, it called for ensuring the protection of children’s rights and interests as a legal obligation and priority in case of family conflicts.
The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights (ECWR), which signed the statement, said in a press release last month it rejected the articles of the draft law because they were unjust and regressive in their approach to personal status issues.