Egyptian Mothers Rage Over Proposed Child Custody Amendments

A new child custody law in Egypt has kicked up a storm among mothers, and all classes of women – including the President of The National Council for Women and parliament representative Maya Morsy.

According to Zahma, the new law proposes that, following a divorce, in the event that the mother decides to remarry, child custody is to be appointed to the wife of the father, provided he has remarried. Previously, women who remarry have had the custody of their child shifted to their mother, their mother in law, or a sister, while maintaining the father’s child right, as per the family law in Egypt.

Morsy has spoken out to Al Masr Al Youm against the new proposal, urging all female parliament representatives to support Egyptian women and Egyptian families by also rejecting the amendment.

The proposal has sparked rage due to the subliminal inference that a mother’s right to remarry following a divorce is punishable by child deprivation, and is less equal than the father’s right to remarry. Women have taken their rage to Facebook and Twitter where they have trended the hashtag قانون_الحضانة_الجديد#.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic by Mohamed Elkordy.