“Marry-Your-Rapist” law finally annulled in Lebanon

by Staff writer

In the west-Asian country of Lebanon, a strange law exists that frees rapists of their crime if they agree to marry their victims.

The state’s parliament on Wednesday finally abolished this law that absolves rapists once they marry their victims.

The “marry-your-rapist” law is observed in many Arab states, though widespread campaign is now causing these laws to be repealed.

Lawmaker Elie Kayrouz, who backed ending of the law in Lebanon said other clauses are also required to be changed to fully protect women and children.

Still, “at the end of the day, this represents a positive development in Lebanon’s legislation,” he told Reuters.

Jordan abolished a similar marriage loophole this month, and Tunisia passed a law in July to protect women against violence which included scrapping a similar clause.

Egypt abolished the law in 1999, and Morocco repealed it in 2014 after the suicide of a 16-year-old girl and the attempted suicide of another 15-year-old, both forced to marry their rapists.

However, rapists can still escape punishment by marrying their victims in nations like Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, the Philippines and Tajikistan, according to the global campaign group Equality Now.

The U.N. says a third of women worldwide have suffered sexual or physical violence, and one in 10 girls have been raped or sexually assaulted.

“Today, we want to congratulate the women of Lebanon,” said lawyer Danielle Howayek, from the Beirut-based women’s rights group Abaad.

Howayek said there was still a long way to go for Lebanese law to protect women, but getting rid of the “marry-your-rapist” provision – which dates back to 1943 – marked a major step.

“Today, it should be clear to everyone that there is no room for avoiding the penalty for rape, and for any sexual act by force or under duress,” she added.