Partners for Law in Development - PLD / Bi-Monthly Legal News / International Updates / Beyond Asia / Marriage with rapist no longer a basis for exonerating the offence of rape in Jordan, Lebanon, Tunsia and El Salvador

Marriage with rapist no longer a basis for exonerating the offence of rape in Jordan, Lebanon, Tunsia and El Salvador

The provision that allowed rapists to escape penalty by marrying their victims was repealed by Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and El Salvador in their respective legislations. For many years, civil society activists had pointed out how the provision was often misused, especially in poor, rural areas where parents married their minor pregnant daughters to rapists in order to avoid shame, and fear of bringing up the child alone.Some believed this provision was necessary for the protection of women’s honour while civil society activists and women’s rights groups saw this as gross violation of human rights. The move to repeal the provision was hailed as a major human rights victory by activists and women’s rights groups.

Sources:http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/day-jordanian-parliament-repeals-rape-law-170801103929836.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/lebanon-scraps-controversial-rape-law-campaign-170816134743208.html

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tunisia-passes-law-end-all-violence-against-women-334768932

http://news.trust.org/item/20170818001406-j6uul/