The justice and legislation committee voted to scrap a clause in the penal code that stipulates there can be no grounds for lawsuits against those “who abducted or seduced a minor girl who has reached puberty, if she marries the person who abducted or seduced her,” the state-run MAP news agency said.
The Justice and Development Party, the moderate Islamist group that leads the government, endorsed the repeal after 16-year-old Amina Filali killed herself in 2012 by swallowing rat poison after six months of forced marriage to her rapist. The case sparked national outcry and focused media attention on the condition of women in a country that prides itself on being a haven of stability and religious tolerance in the Muslim world. Support from the governing Islamists, who hold about a quarter of seats in parliament, means the law is likely to be repealed when it comes to a vote in the assembly.
