Sit-in near the Parliament to protest forced marriage of a raped woman to her rapist

On the eve of discussion by the Parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee headed by MP Robert Ghanem of a request by civil and women groups to repeal Article 522 of the Penal Code which provides for the end of all prosecution against a sexual assaulter if he marries his victim, ABAAD organization staged a sit-in to this effect in Riyad el Solh. During the protest, ABAAD’s executive director, Gida Anani, pressed the need to abolish and not to amend the discriminatory article, as it encroaches on, and strips the victim from her right to freely choose her spouse. On the same subject, As Safir newspaper cited informed sources as reporting that a number of members of above Committee are studying the option of adjustment of Article 522 for the benefit of distinguishing between the rape victims based on age. Accordingly, if the victim is under 15, this does not exempt the perpetrator from punishment if he marries his victim, but pardons him if the victim has completed her 15 years. As Safir considered that these positions serve to safeguard confessional system and the various current confessional personal status laws which consent to the marriage of minors from 9 years on, depending on the sect of the underage girl. Meanwhile, KAFA Enough Violence and Expectation organization released a new review book which provides a full account of all legal decisions related to the ‘protection of women and family members against domestic violence’ law following its adoption two years ago. The implementation of the protection law, the book indicated, was largely incomplete in the majority of legal cases. Court decisions mainly addressed the physical dimension of protection, while disregarding the financial one notably issues such as alimony or the protection of minor children. (for more on the subject, visit the following link: (http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/269001). (Assafir, Al-Akhbar, Daily Star, Orient le Jour 6,7 December 2016)