Dear Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, Mr Nabih Berri,

Articles of the Penal Code that enable a rapist to marry their victim and escape penalty, must be repealed. These provisions result in secondary victimization as women and girls are then forced into marriage, a form of modern slavery.

In light of the recent decision in the Parliament of Jordan to bring down a similar law, and the growing momentum to ensure women’s rights are respected and modern slavery is abolished, I encourage you to call for full Parliamentary support to repeal these Articles, including 505, 518 and 522 in their entirety, so that women and girls are protected from forced marriage.