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Gulf Today Report

A member of the Egyptian Parliament said that there are 117,000 cases of child marriage in Egypt, which is a very large number.

The member pointed out that there are cases of marriage at the age of 13, affirming that there is a case before the National Council for Women of a girl child who married 4 times within one month.

The member explained that Egyptian law bans documenting marriage before the age of 18, indicating that some families agree to a customary marriage contract until the girl reaches the age of 18, according to local media.

In a related context, the Egyptian parliament member, Enas Abdel Halim, submitted a draft law that is currently before the House of Representatives to criminalise early marriage.

It is also proposed to impose penalties on any person who facilitates the marriage of a minor.

The draft stipulates that any person authorized by law to participate in the completion of the marriage will be punished with imprisonment for a period of no less than three years or a fine of no less than 100,000 Egyptian pounds, whether the “Mazoun”, witnesses, husband or guardian, knowing that one of the marriage parties is younger than the legal age.

The draft also stipulates that any person who attests a marriage in violation of the law will be punished with imprisonment for a period of no less than five years and a fine of no less than 500,000 Egyptian pounds.