Parliamentary Committee Repeals Contentious Rape Law
The Administration and Justice Parliamentary Committee repealed on Wednesday article 522 in the Lebanese law that allows a rapist to get away with his crime if he marries the survivor.
The decision came following protests that called for the law annulment.
On Tuesday, dozen Lebanese women, dressed as brides in white wedding dresses stained with fake blood and bandages, gathered outside government buildings in the capital Beirut to protest the law.
The law, in place since the late 1940s in Lebanon, was discussed in parliament after a lawmaker called for it to be repealed.
Standing before a banner that read: "White won't cover rape," the activists took advantage of a reinvigorated Lebanese political life following parliament's election of a president after a two-and-half-year paralysis. They called on lawmakers to discuss the law to repeal it altogether.
After years of campaigning against articles dealing with violence against women, activists said they are optimistic they may be able to change them.
The law states that rapists are punishable by up to seven years. If the survivor is a person with a special need, physical or mental, the penalty is increased. Article 522 then added that if the violator marries the survivor, criminal prosecution is suspended.
Some supporters of the law argue that the marriage will salvage the honor of the woman and her family. During parliament discussions, some lawmakers proposed amending it and leaving the marriage option as a choice for families.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press
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