The Parliament of Bahrain unanimously voted to abolish a law that allows rapists to go free if they marry their rape victims. The move was hailed by women’s rights activists who agitated for years against it.
Bharain’s Upper House Parliament, the Shoura Council, voted to quash Article 353 from the country’s penal code, a law excempting rapists or sexual offenders from punishment if they marry the victim.
Minster of Justice and Islamic Affairs Nawaf Al Maawada stated, “Attackers won’t escape from punishment. Bahrain is a country with a traditional Muslim culture with respect offered to many religions. As societies and cultures change, governments need to study and reform laws.”
Talking about endeavours to draft the law, female members of Parliament have said the time had finally come to change the regulation, which discriminated against the victims.
Member of the Shoura Council and part of the foreign affairs Nancy Khedouri was the main member in the session who handled the bill. She said the decision was vital as part of the Kingdom’s latest efforts at legislative reforms.
In an interview with The National, Khedouri said the abolition of this article came as an imperative necessity because it did not address the issue of rape and provided inadequate protection for rape victims.
“On the contrary, it protected the rapist and rewarded him for his crime by marrying the victim without taking into consideration her psychological status and the status of her family in society. This article did not provide protection for women from this crime. Instead, it protected the rapist,” she said.
Hala Al Ansari, secretary general of Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, stated that removing Article 353 was in line with 2015 recommendations.
The UN resident coordinator in Bahrain Khaled El Mekwad described it as a milestone for women in Bahrain. “This milestone regulative change will build the assurance of the key privileges of ladies and young ladies in Bahrain,” he stated.
Bahrain is the latest country in the Middle East and North Africa region to scrape laws or amend that have allowed rapists to avoid severe punishment by simply agreeing to marry their victims. In 2017, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia scrapped similar laws in their countries.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
