New draft law toughens imprisonment on husbands for assaulting wives: MP

CAIRO – 25 January 2021: A Member of Egypt’s Parliament Amal Salama finalized amendments to the Penal Code that toughens punishment on husbands who assault their wives by imprisonment for a period of no less than 3 years and up to 5 years.

Member of Parliament (MP) Amal Salama said that she is collecting signatures from the parliamentarians so that the draft law can be submitted to be discussed at the parliament. The internal regulations of the parliament requires that any draft law should be signed by 10 MPs so that it can be submitted to the House of Representatives.
“A large number of MPs and women representatives showed great enthusiasm to sign the draft law,” she said.

She further noted in the explanatory memorandum of the bill that the state is committed to protect women from all forms of violence, especially with the issue of assaulting wives becoming a threat to the Egyptian family, and to social peace as well.

Discussing the draft law, Salama cited Article 11 of the constitution as a reference to her when she was drafting the amendments. Article 11 addresses equality between women and men in all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

Salama explained that the main reason behind preparing this bill “is that the penal code does not include appropriate penalties meeting the offense of a husband towards his wife.”

“Recent studies indicated that about 8 million Egyptian women are subjected to violence, and 86 percent of wives are beaten by their husbands, according to the latest statistics of the National Council for Women,” she added.

The amendments added a part of Article 242, which stipulates that “If a husband beat or injure his wife, imprisonment is a compulsory for a period of not less than three years and not exceeding five years.”

The amendment added, says:

“If the assault or the wound did not reach a degree of gravity, stipulated in the two previous articles, the perpetrator shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or by a fine of not less than L.E. 10 and not exceeding L.E. 200. In case the assault is committed deliberately, a punishment for two years or a fine between L.E. 10 and L.E. 200. And if the assault or the wound occurred using a weapon or stick or any tool, the punishment will be compulsory to between three to five years in prison,” the article reads.

The draft law also added the amendment to Article 243 in Penal Code, where the penalty will be imprisonment for utmost three years in case weapons, sticks or any tools were used.