Cairo, July 6 (Reuters) - Mothers and campaigners in Egypt are counting on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's signal that he backs an overhaul of 71-year-old guardianship laws which deprive millions of women of control over financial and educational decisions for their children. Under the laws, fathers are default legal guardians of minors, with sole control over financial and academic affairs. In the case of a father's death, guardianship transfers to the paternal grandfather, supervised by civil courts. If there is no living paternal grandfather, the mother would have guardianship, subject to court supervision. Elham Aidarous, an activist and politician, argued during the dialogue for "joint guardianship during marital life with full equality in legal positions".

Source: The North Africa Journal July 06, 2023 23:12 UTC