Group: Egypt Divorce Laws Unfair to Women

[dArKeR]

CAIRO, Egypt - Egyptian women, denied equal access to divorce, often are trapped in unwanted marriages or left begging for a divorce that can take years to secure and leave them destitute, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday in a report urging an overhaul of procedures rooted in Islamic law and tradition.

In Egypt, like many Arab countries, family matters are governed by Islamic law, meaning marriage and divorce are guided by religious rulings, traditions and social norms in the male-dominated society. As a result, a man can unilaterally end his marriage by stating his intent; women largely are left to appeal to notoriously slow-moving courts.

Egyptian women are left with "two equally distressing options," Human Rights Watch said

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