Violence Against Women
The National Council for Women has finished drafting its bill aimed at confronting violence towards women.
Copies of the draft will be sent to President Mohamed Morsy, Prime Minister Hesham Qandil and Justice Minister Ahmed Suleiman, the group announced on Wednesday.
The new bill, which has undergone a series of amendments after first being introduced months ago, has been produced following consultations with civil society and feminist organisations as well as criminal law experts, the NCW said in a statement.
Among the latest amendments to the bill, representatives have distinguished between classifications of sexual harassment and molestation which, the NCW argued, would help investigators provide evidence for relevant incidents.
The bolstered draft also rules against arbitrary deprivation of women's private and public rights, it added.
Bequeathal rights, forced marriage and unequal job opportunities would also be made illegal under the new bill.
In March, the NCW approved an UN international agreement on women rights.
However, the charter sparked controversy in Egypt when the Muslim Brotherhood claimed it did not conform to Islamic law and eradicated Islamic morals and family values.
The NCW denied the allegations by the Muslim Brotherhood.
