Egypt's Sisi pledges support for Egyptian women, vows to bar child marriage

Published 22 Mar,2021 via Asharq Alawsat (English Edition) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged on Sunday to approve social, economic and legal measures to support Egyptian women.

He also vowed to speed up efforts to bar child-marriage and facilitate the implementation of financial measures needed to empower women economically. He also pledged to issue a new, balanced personal status law.

Accompanied by several ministers and senior statesmen, Sisi attended an event celebrating Egyptian women at the Al Manara International Conference Center in Cairo.

He stressed that since becoming president in 2014, he has made women empowerment “a key focus of the state's comprehensive development plan.”

Sisi addressed the parliament, asking it to take the steps needed for the speedy issuance of a law that prohibits child marriage and another that explicitly sets the legal age for marriage. He also directed the Central Bank to take the measures needed to prevent discrimination against women regarding access to loans and to empower women economically, especially breadwinning mothers.

He also stressed the need for measures that protect women from debt, emphasizing that more women should occupy leadership positions, whether in the public or private sector.

On the new personal status law, he said that “I can assure you that we are keen to hear from everyone,” implying that the new regulation will be fairer to both men and women.

Sisi added that all Egyptian institutions, including Al-Azhar, the parliament, senate and government, are in favor of the new law because “it is in the interest of the Egyptian people.”

He also hailed the Decent Life Initiative that supports Egyptian women and their children by providing adequate and safe housing, especially those who were living in poor conditions.

“The Decent Life Initiative started two years ago, but we need to go even further than that,” he stated, adding that according to the initial data, there is a need for an additional 100,000 housing units for families in 1,500 villages.

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