Difficulties in repealing Article 522

It sounds like an April Fool's trick. But it absolutely is not. It is the law that is applied, to be precise, Article 522 of the penal code, which exonerates a rapist of his crime if he marries his victim. Thus, the victim marries her rapist husband and will live in a kind of gilded cage forever – a sort of dolce vita in hell....Because it must be said: in our country horror rhymes with honour, with requiring that a male who has clearly done wrong is validated by an ancestral, barbarous law: the happiness of the girl must be sacrificed to cleanse the honour of the family....

Let us recall the facts: A few weeks ago the parliamentary commission for the Administration of Justice repeals this Article 522 (which stipulates, amongst other things, that a rapist may escape punishment if he recognises his crime and marries his victim). The repeal of this Article was strongly resisted and has remained in the air for several months, in fact years, and many NGOs, of which Abaad is one, have actively campaigned for repeal. Except that for it to be enacted, it had to be submitted to a vote in Parlement. Which does not seem inclined to abolish this toxic Article 522..

In effect, it is now more than a month since the law has been off the agenda in the sitting and the vote has been postponed. The NGO Abaad appeals to civil society to exert pressure and make its voice heard. For this reason you must sign the petition at www.undress522.com to take forward the vote in Parlement.

522 must be abolished. For all those women who live in horror and to protect all those others to have the honour of living in horror.......

Source: «Femmes violées: tout sauf un poisson d'avril», L'Orient-Le Jour, 01/04/2017.