CAIRO — Egypt’s National Council for Women launched an initiative in June to end tribal marriages and help couples officially register their marriages by March 2018. The initiative is of key importance for many women in the governorate of South Sinai, who do not have official papers such as birth certificates and marriage documents.
Mona Salem, council's South Sinai branch adviser, told Al-Monitor, “We have recently discovered that a large number of South Sinai residents have not officially registered their marriages. Many lack national identity cards and birth certificates required to register a marriage.”