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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Supplement Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Happy endings
By Salwa Bakr *
The modification of the clause in the penal code which allowed for the acquittal of rapists who married their victims is further proof of the urgent need for constructive social dialogue. The intense media campaign that forged an informed public opinion brought pressure to bear on lawmakers in Egypt to modify such provisions.
It has also shown that stereotypes, prejudices and irrational metaphysical fallacies stifle any possibility for improvement and change. The modification of the law could open the way to objective dialogue concerning the status of women, and could thereby induce radical modifications in legislation, particularly nationality law and the personal status law. The law on nationality denies an Egyptian woman married to a foreigner the right to pass on her nationality to her children -- a right enjoyed by an Egyptian man married to a foreign woman. Such discrimination constitutes a violation of Article One of the Egyptian Constitution, which asserts the equality of all citizens before the law. The personal status law deals with women as "issues" rather than human beings or citizens who contribute to the good of society.
The social dialogue which led to the modification of the rape law has been dominated by profound consideration of the true impact and meaning of rape, rather than by hysterical reactions and emotional outbursts. While the modification of the law on rape is a happy ending to a sombre century for Egyptian women, I am full of hope that quiet dialogue will continue to be a tool for further change in legislation more favourable to women.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is a novelist.
