News

Egypt Succeeds in Preventing Child Marriage in Kafr Al Sheikh Governorate

Egypt Succeeds in Preventing Child Marriage in Kafr Al Sheikh Governorate

Egypt’s National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) released a statement on Monday declaring its success in preventing the marriage of  two children in Kafr El Sheikh governorate, after pictures of the children at an engagement party were shared on social media.

The incident was reported through the child helpline 16000, and the general committee for child protection was then assigned to investigate and report on the incident.

Secretary General of the NCCM Azza El Ashmawy affirmed that necessary measures have been taken regarding the issue of child marriage by providing awareness of the dangers of early child marriage to the family and the parents vowed to postpone the marriage until the children reach the legal age.

In the statement, El Ashmawy also condemned the marriage and said it was a flagrant violation of children’s rights, affirming that the council is committed in combatting the issue of child marriage in Egypt.

According to Egyptian law, the legal age for marriage is 18 years old, yet child marriage is still common in the country due to economic and cultural reasons.

A report by UNICEF and NCCM in 2018 revealed that one out of 20 girls aged 15 to 17 and one out of 10 girls aged 15 to 19 have at one time been married, and that females in rural areas are three times more vulnerable to child marriage than girls living in urban areas.

This year in June, a new draft law was proposed to criminalise child marriage with a penalty up to one year imprisonment for those involved, as well as taking the children away from parents who allowed them to get married.

Yemeni Mother Wins Fight for US Visa to Visit Her Dying Son
Foreign Proprietors in Egypt Can Finally Apply for Residency

Subscribe to our newsletter


News

More in News

Egypt Releases Satirist and Vlogger Shady Abu Zeid After 2 Years

Egyptian StreetsOctober 18, 2020

Egypt’s Mufti Condemns Killing of French Teacher For Prophet Muhammed Caricatures

Egyptian StreetsOctober 17, 2020

Veteran Actor Mahmoud Yassin Passes Away, Aged 79

ES BuzzOctober 15, 2020

Egyptian Woman Killed in Maadi After Being Dragged by Car

Egyptian StreetsOctober 14, 2020

Egypt’s Health Minister Calls for Free COVID-19 Vaccines for Developing Countries

Egyptian StreetsOctober 13, 2020

Gal Gadot to Star in Cleopatra Biopic, Sparking Outrage

Egyptian StreetsOctober 12, 2020

Nearly Half of Arab Youth Consider Leaving Their Home Countries: AYS

Egyptian StreetsOctober 10, 2020

Nobel Peace Prize Winners: How WFP in Egypt is Transforming Lives

Egyptian StreetsOctober 9, 2020