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Egypt Abolishes Misogynist Rape Law

Early this month, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak proposed the repeal of an Egyptian law that allowed one or more rapists to go unpunished if one of the rapists agreed to marry his victim. Egypt’s parliament has now approved Mubarak’s proposal and removed Article 291 from the county’s penal code.

Article 291 has been in effect since 1937. Proponents of the article argued that it gave rape survivors greater prospects for marriage and was necessary to restore their families’ honor .

Sources:

Reuters - April 26, 1999

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