A coalition of political parties, rights groups, and public figures has accused the Egyptian government on Sunday of treating draft personal status laws for Muslims and Christians as “secret files,” and demanded that their full texts be made public.
The joint statement warned that keeping the bills “in the drawers” of the Justice Ministry, and away from public debate, fuels rumors, heightens anxiety among families, and deepens social polarization.
Last week, the Cabinet announced its approval of the Family Law for Egyptian Christians—in implementation of presidential directives to expedite personal status legislation—without disclosing its specific provisions. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly also indicated that the draft family laws for Muslims and Christians, alongside the Family Support Fund, will be referred to parliament sequentially on a weekly basis.
The joint statement emphasized that a decade of failing economic policies and deteriorating public services has deepened family disputes. Drawing on Egypt’s creation of a Family Support Fund proposed in the law, the signatories argued that the new legislation must clearly define the state’s direct responsibility to finance support for families in hardship, rather than relying primarily on small, regressive fees imposed on young couples upon marriage to fund it.
Key parameters to ensure justice and prioritize the best interests of children—the most vulnerable party— also include respect for citizenship and the equal legal capacity of women and men. the statement said.
The coalition also demanded setting the minimum marriage age at 18 for both sexes, establishing the principle of shared parental responsibility to ensure both parents have equal rights over their children during and after marriage, and guaranteeing equal rights to court-documented divorce for both spouses, with safeguards to protect the rights of the child.
To protect children’s best interests, the statement advocated for child welfare to serve as the “fulcrum” of the new legislation. Proposals include maintaining maternal custody until age 15, with fathers next in line for custody, ahead of grandparents for example; ensuring neither parent loses custody upon remarriage; and granting the non-custodial parent “visitation” or companionship rights under a system that ensures safety and prevents abduction. Furthermore, it called for prioritizing alternative sentencing over imprisonment in family cases to safeguard children’s well-being.
The signatories also held state agencies responsible for investigating and disclosing bank accounts and sources of income to accurately estimate alimony, while stressing the need to consolidate all cases related to a single family into one comprehensive file before the judiciary.
The signing parties and organizations—including the Bread and Freedom Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the New Woman Foundation, and the Women’s Committee of the Journalists Syndicate—joined a long list of politicians, activists, and academics in calling for substantive public discussion before approving any legislation concerning the Egyptian family.
Last Tuesday, feminists participating in a roundtable organized by the New Woman Foundation, titled “The Personal Status Law: To What End?”, criticized the lack of transparency regarding the government’s failure to disclose any details of the draft law. The absence of key officials Hani Georgy of the National Council for Women and Judge Sally El-Saeedi of the Ministry of Justice, both of whom were announced as keynote speakers, raised questions about the state’s willingness to engage in genuine dialogue.
