Gov’t toughens penalties for child marriage

Phoebe Fawzy, Deputy Speaker of the Senate, said the government’s approval of a draft law on the prohibition of child marriage came in implementation of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives regarding the criminalisation of underage marriage and toughening the punishment for the perpetrator. This move, she went on, confirms the high status of Egyptian women – of all age segments – in the vision of the new republic. In statements to the Middle East News Agency (MEna) yesterday, Fawzy noted that the draft law stipulates the imposition of a penalty of imprisonment for a period of no less than one year and a fine of no less than fifty thousand pounds, for anyone who marries or found responsible for the marriage of under-18 years- old male or a female. She believed that this approval reiterates the need to carefully consider the Egyptian human rights on which the National Strategy for Human Rights was issued. According to Fawzy, this step represents one of the mechanisms being implemented to control random increase in the population. This, she continued, allows woman to reach a degree of maturity and psychological and physical capacity before marriage so that she has the ability to make the decision to have children in a more rational manner. In the meantime, the draft law, which is consistent with the provisions of the constitution, contributes to women empowerment at all levels, especially socially and economically, as it contributes to confronting the phenomenon of female dropouts from education, which often comes due to early marriage. Therefore, prohibiting child marriage will allow girls to complete their education and search for a suitable job opportunity to achieve economic independence.