Proposed Law Would Set Back Women’s Rights in Egypt
Activists say that women’s rights will be rolled back 200 years under a proposed law in Egypt. The law would prevent women from signing their own marriage certificates, registering their child’s birth or traveling abroad without a man’s consent, rights activists say. It would also give fathers priority in custody cases and allow fathers to prevent mothers from traveling with their children, Reuters reported. The law was approved by the cabinet in January.
Egypt still has laws on the books based on Islamic law, dating back to 1920, that discriminate against women in areas such as divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
The cabinet said in a statement earlier this year that the proposed law was “in line with the great social development in Egyptian society and the need to compile the dispersed laws into one.”
The bill under review by the country’s constitutional and legislative affairs committee and then will be sent to the parliament.