| Tuesday, December 07, 2004 |
| EGYPTIAN WIVES SEEKING DIVORCE AT DISADVANTAGE: RIGHTS GROUP |
CAIRO, EGYPT -- Egyptian women, denied equal
access to divorce, often are trapped in
unwated marriages or left begging for a divorce
that can take years to secure. Human Right Watch
said Tuesday in a report urging an overhaul of
procedures rooted in Islamic law and tradition.
In Egypt, like many Arab countries, family matters
are governed by Islamic law, meaning marriage
and divorces are guided by religious rulings,
traditions and social norms in the male-dominated
society.
Men can unilaterally end their marriages by stating
their intent. Women largely are left to appeal to
slow-moving courts.
Egyptian women are left with "two equally distressing
options", Human Rights Watch said.
"Many Egyptian women....eIther remain in an unwanted
amrriage and possibly endure physical and psychological
abuse, or beg their husbands to divorce them, giving up
everything they own and cherish in return", the report said.
Officials in the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Justice
Ministry would not comment on the report. However, one officials
said the conditions of anonymity that women have adequate access
to secure a divorce. To divorce as easily as men can, a
woman need only have it written into her marriage contract that she
has the right to make that decision, the official said.
Human Rights Watch said many women are not informed of their
right to negotiate such conditions.
(by Susan Sevareid/ASSOCAITED PRESS) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 4:46 AM |
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Name: infraternam meam
Home: Chicago, United States
About Me: I am now at the prime of my life
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