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Egypt Seeks to Criminalize Child Marriage

Child marriage is illegal in Egypt. (AFP)
Child marriage is illegal in Egypt. (AFP)
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Egypt Seeks to Criminalize Child Marriage

Child marriage is illegal in Egypt. (AFP)
Child marriage is illegal in Egypt. (AFP)

Egyptian lawmakers have sought to expedite legislative measures to criminalize child marriage and tighten penalties to deter violators.

MP Enas Abdel Halim said she finished preparing a bill to amend some provisions of the Penal Code to increase the punishment for underage marriage.

The bill, which she will submit to parliament, sets the appropriate age for girls to marry. She added that the constitution criminalizes marriage of girls under the age of 18.

Even though the marriage of minors violates the constitution, laws and international treaties, there is no punishment for those who are married to minors or facilitated such a union, she remarked.

Therefore, “the proposed amendments includes imposing stricter penalties for this act to limit and address the phenomenon, which threatens national security.”

Earlier this week, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi vowed to speed up efforts to bar child marriage in the country.

During an event marking Mother’s Day on Sunday, he warned of the growing phenomenon and stressed that girls under 12 should not be expected to be responsible for household chores and raising a family.

The parliament must urgently take the necessary measures to pass the child marriage restraint bill as a separate law that stipulates explicitly the legal age of marriage, he stressed.

Sisi cited data by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) that revealed that many girls have been married by the age of 12.

According to the Agency’s 2019 statistics on early marriage, 117,220 Egyptians were married under the age of 18.

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Beirut’s Southern Suburbs Welcome Residents Amid Ruins, Stray Gunfire

A Lebanese woman passes by the rubble of a building in Beirut's southern suburbs (Reuters)
A Lebanese woman passes by the rubble of a building in Beirut's southern suburbs (Reuters)
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Beirut’s Southern Suburbs Welcome Residents Amid Ruins, Stray Gunfire

A Lebanese woman passes by the rubble of a building in Beirut's southern suburbs (Reuters)
A Lebanese woman passes by the rubble of a building in Beirut's southern suburbs (Reuters)

As autumn rain and celebratory gunfire marked the morning after a ceasefire, residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs returned to their streets. Traffic quickly resumed in the densely populated area, a small sign of normalcy.
But the destruction left by Israeli airstrikes tells a different story. Hundreds of buildings were reduced to rubble, with unofficial estimates putting the number of destroyed structures at 450. Many nearby buildings were also damaged.
While the damage is less than the 720 buildings destroyed in 2006, the wider reach of the strikes this time has left even more structures affected, spreading destruction and hardship across the suburbs.
Destruction marks nearly every street in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the air carries the stench of burned debris and what locals call “strange chemicals” from Israeli airstrikes.
Abed, a young Syrian guard, was collecting what was left of his belongings after a missile hit three floors of his building. While the structure didn’t collapse, the lower floors were destroyed, cutting off access to the upper ones.
Engineers deemed the building unsafe, and officials will decide whether to repair or demolish it. If torn down, residents will have a brief chance to salvage their belongings.
This story is repeated across the area, where crumbling buildings stand beside others severely damaged.
“Our neighbor’s building collapsed, damaging ours,” said Mohammad Hashim, a 60-year-old resident.
“Our home is unlivable—broken stairs, shattered windows, and winter is here.”
Hashim is renting a temporary apartment for $1,500 a month and expects to stay longer than planned.
Unlike in 2006, when Hezbollah quickly compensated displaced residents, no assistance has been offered yet. Many, like Hashim, are unsure whether to start repairs or wait for help.
Amid the destruction, celebrations continue. Hezbollah distributed flags and banners before the ceasefire, turning the streets into a surreal mix of rubble and “victory” parades. Cars waved flags, even as most residents lacked homes to return to.
Gunfire during the celebrations sent some fleeing for safety. “We survived Israeli missiles, but now their bullets might kill us,” a motorcyclist shouted while speeding away.