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| Africa North |
| Morocco amends controversial rape law |
| 2014-01-24 |
| [DAWN] Morocco's parliament on Wednesday unanimously amended an article in the penal code that had outraged people by allowing a rapist to escape prosecution if he married his underage victim. Article 475 of the penal code generated unprecedented public criticism about the case of Amina al-Filali, a 16-year-old girl who was forced to marry a man who allegedly had raped her. After seven months of marriage to the 23-year-old man, she did away with himself in 2012. Her parents and a judge had forced the marriage to protect the family honor. The incident sparked calls for the law to be changed. The traditional practice for forced marriage can be found across the Middle East and in countries such as India and Afghanistan, where the loss of a woman's virginity out of wedlock puts a huge stain on the honor of the family or tribe. |
| Posted by:Fred |