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Palestinian women celebrate legal win with eye toward greater victories

Palestinian women welcome their government's move to change a handful of laws that are unfair to women, but the road to full equality is still very long.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — Women warmly welcomed the government’s declaration of a “package of decisions and measures to [address] laws that are unfair to women,” March 5 in advance of International Women’s Day. But they want more.

The government called on President Mahmoud Abbas March 5 to issue a decision to amend Penal Code No. 16 of 1960 by adding a fifth paragraph to Article 99 excluding honor crimes against women from their customary consideration of extenuating circumstances. The government also called for abolishing Article 308 of the Penal Code, which exempts a perpetrator of rape from prosecution and punishment if he marries his victim.

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