CAIRO — With some help from the government, Egyptian women might finally get their due, at least as far as inheritances are concerned.

Currently, Egypt has no sanctions in place to punish someone who keeps members of a family from receiving their rightful shares of an inheritance. The problem is not uncommon for women, especially in Upper Egypt and some rural areas. Often an inheritance is kept from a woman because the family fears property ownership would transfer to her husband and not be kept in the immediate family.

In March 2016, civil society organizations and the National Council for Women started pressuring parliament to issue a law guaranteeing inheritance rights for Egyptian women. In February, parliament’s Legislative Committee approved an amendment proposed by the government to Inheritance Law No. 77 of 1943. The proposal will be submitted for a series of discussions, after which it will be voted on in a parliamentary plenary session.

Under this amendment, the law would include a chapter on sanctions. For the first time, a number of violations would be considered criminal offenses. Such violations would include intentionally depriving heirs of their rightful inheritance. The amendment proposes punishment of at least six months in prison and a fine of 20,000-100,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,250-$6,250).