<\/p>\n
“Women Marching towards Safety”<\/strong><\/p>\n The Coalition of Women MPs congratulates the Arab world and women on the occasion of the beginning of the 16-Day Campaign against gender based violence. It seizes this occasion to congratulate women in Jordan and Lebanon on repealing Articles 308 and 522 of the Penal Code in both countries where the rapist escapes punishment if he marries the victim. The coalition also congratulates the Jordanian family on amending the Protection from Family Violence Act.\u00a0On the other hand, the coalition denounces the decline of the personal status law in Iraq and will try and exert its utmost efforts to lobby for amending this law and to repeal Article 398 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which allows the rapist to escape punishment if he marries the victim. The Coalition sent two letters to the Speaker of the Iraqi House of Representatives requesting repealing the unfair recent amendments to women in the Personal Status Law, and the other calls for the abolition of Article 398 of the Penal Code.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the Coalition congratulates Syria and Iraq for their remarkable efforts to eliminate terrorist groups, Daesh<\/em> being the most vicious among them. This is due to the calamities it left on women and girls who have been wounded by brutal practices of rape, sold in the markets of slavery, displaced, and had thier families destructed. The Coalition looks forward to the ratification of the Arab States on the draft of the Arab Convention to Combat Violence against Women and Girls, and Domestic Violence, which addressed the situation of women in refugee camps, displacement camps, and in times of conflict.\u00a0In its Tunisia Declaration during its conference on (Combating Violence against Women in the Arab Region between Scripts and Application), held on 16 and 17 November 2017, the Coalition called for the importance of adhering to international and regional conventions, as well as the mechanisms and instruments relating to human rights and the rights of women and children, especially the most vulnerable groups of women with disabilities, displaced women, refugees, and women under occupation.<\/p>\n The Coalition also values the efforts made by the Arab League, the Arab Parliamentary Union, and the Coalition of Women MPs from Arab Countries to Combat Violence Against Women in supporting the establishment of such a comprehensive and integrated regional system to eliminate violence against women and girls, and domestic violence.<\/p>\n It appreciates the efforts of the Arab States that have adopted or are in the process of adopting legislation to eliminate violence against women, in particular the efforts of the Republic of Tunisia, which sponsored the conference under the auspices of the Ministry of Women, Family, and Childhood Affairs.<\/p>\n It appreciates the achievements made by the Ministry of Women, Family and Childhood Affairs in Tunisia in this regard, especially the adoption of a law to eliminate violence against women and the adoption of initiatives and plans to follow up and ensure the implementation of this law to meet the aspirations.<\/p>\n It also stresses in this context the importance of adopting an integrated system based on the adoption of legislation, careful implementation of them, assessing their impact, and ensuring the allocation of human and financial resources necessary for them.<\/p>\n It commends legislative initiatives and parliamentary efforts in a number of Arab countries to adopt laws and policies to eliminate violence against women,<\/p>\n The Coalition declares the following:<\/p>\n\n
\nIts emphasis on the need to allocate shelters for women and children victims of violence and domestic violence, as well as allocating human and material resources necessary to safeguard the dignity of women and children in these shelters.<\/li>\n