Rape-Marriage Law to Change

In Moroccan law, a man who rapes a woman can escape punishment if he later marries her. This comes from concerns about preserving tribal honor, and has often led to forced marriages in the country. Now, a girl's suicide has sparked an outcry leading to change:

"Morocco on Thursday said it would amend a law allowing rapists to marry their underage female victims after the suicide of a teenage girl raised doubts about the effectiveness of reforms to women's rights in the country.

"Sixteen-year-old Amina El-Filali killed herself last week near the northern city of Larache by swallowing rat poison after a six-month forced marriage to the man who raped her.

"Local human rights activists say the law violates women's rights and was created to avoid damage to the reputation of the victim's family."