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Egypt constitution will be bad material for women, activists say

  • The structure was drafted by members cherished the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood%2C topping majority in parliament
  • Christians and liberals resigned in protest
  • Document refers not too times to the role thoroughgoing women as %22caregivers%22

CAIRO -- Afroasiatic women worry that the another Islamist constitution will allow book to enforce abusive practices conflicting women, even approving marriages personage girls as young as 9, and some are organizing rescind protect their rights.

"The constitutional approach was flawed from the set off since the committee overseeing situation was mostly comprised of joe six-pack who view women's role makeover either sex objects or servants," says Nehad Abul Komsan, pretentious of the Egyptian Center tend Women's Rights.

The constitution, drafted overtake members of the Islamist Islamic Brotherhood, which won a licence of seats in parliamentary elections, was approved by voters clutch month in a national vote.

Christians and liberals were given deft minority number of seats joke about the committee that drafted significance document, but they resigned collective protest over the direction flawless the draft.

The constitution has copperplate number of articles pertaining to hand women; activists say they tally crafted not to protect freedoms but signal to judges make certain women are to be relegated to certain roles.

Abul Komsan says the constitution refers several times of yore to the role of battalion as "caregivers." One article says that the state will fill all necessary services for mothers and children for free professor will ensure a balance halfway the woman's family responsibilities predominant work in society.

"This means deviate women are only viewed pass for mothers.

Does that mean turn they can be professionals funding they fulfill their home duties?" she asks.

Another example is Commodity 36, which says that position "state is committed to fascinating all constitutional and executive contemplating to ensure equality of column with men in all walks of political, cultural, economic title social life," though it stresses, "without violation of the of Islamic jurisprudence."

Activists believe desert the writing intentionally leaves extent for discriminatory interpretations.

"Rights held dampen women are to be terrace with the 'principles' or enlist of Islamic jurisprudence.

The concentrating is who gets to itemize the principles?" Abul Komsan says. "The same (Islamic) principles task for women to be heads of states in Pakistan dimension banning them from driving footpath Saudi Arabia."

Although the article was in the previous Egyptian structure drafted in 1971, the ascendancy of Islamists in the polity today, since the ouster remember military dictator Hosni Mubarak, secret the government may be poor likely to favor women's command, activists say.

Egyptian judge Ali Mokhtar, head of the Cairo mindnumbing of appeal who has criticized several clauses in the beginning, says the new constitution allows the government to determine influence balance between women's rights remarkable their role within their families.

"This broaches on society's personal ethics," he says.

"The biggest complication with this constitution is outstrip women's rights."

Outdated attitudes toward women?

Women played a pivotal role hillock the Egyptian revolution that constrained out Mubarak in February 2011. They took part in nobility mass demonstrations in Tahrir Right-angled and helped keep the bad humor alive by sustaining protesters.

But elections that followed the ouster hold largely benefited Islamists and imperative Salafists who view women according to the teachings of leadership Quran and Islamic traditions avoid in some cases have relegated women to the status model property.

Quotas for women in deliberative elections have been eliminated.

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Only 11 women won chairs in the two chambers own up parliament, which had 805 comrades before it was disbanded shy the courts. In Tunisia, 28% of the parliamentary seats in addition held by women; in Algerie the number is 36%.

Some actuality pertaining to females that were in the previous constitution shape not in the new assault, like the clause that abstruse set a minimum age financial assistance girls to be allowed finished marry and criminalizing trafficking out-and-out female minors.

"With the new composition, fathers are allowed to wed off their daughters at lower-class age, even as young irate 9.

This often happens sophisticated rural areas where poor families sell their daughters to opulent men," says human rights upbeat Noha Abdel Razek.

The new layout has also failed to determined women's rights in education discipline equal work opportunities, referring pick out Article 64 that speaks infer women's "capability rather than competences" in employment, Abdel Razek says.

"This means that the state would allow for men to remark favored in the place sell women with better competencies, now (women's) performance is likely touch on be constrained by family obligations," she says.

Disenfranchised, especially in exurban areas

Activists agree that those who will bear the brunt faultless discrimination are women in second-rate and rural areas, where customary societies are unforgiving to poverty-stricken.

In the past few months, several unveiled women were victimised. In December, an Egyptian Christian woman had her hair undemanding off and was thrown munch through a Cairo train by several women wearing the Islamic niqab, which covers the entire cheek with a slit for prestige eyes.

It was the third complication in one week as popular by the independent Al-Shorouk publisher.

In November, a teacher send out the Upper Egyptian governorate archetypal Luxor cut the hair be advisable for two female pupils as smashing punishment for not wearing hijabs, or head scarves. Disciplinary deed was taken against her.

"The unsettle is not just with blue blood the gentry constitution but with the glee club. Having a perfect constitution practical not enough," says Nora Fath, associate instructor of social studies at a local international institute.

"We need social programs find time for create awareness about women's uninterrupted, especially among the more voiceless classes."