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By Houda Mzioudet.
Tripoli, 23 September 2013:
The government intends to clamp down on violence against women, while presenting legislation to the GNC . . .[restrict]to guarantee equality between men and women, backed up by legal sanctions.
Speaking yesterday at Premier Ali Zeidan’s weekly press conference, Justice Minister Salah Bashir Al-Marghani said that the issue of violence against women had to be addressed in a drive by the government, adding : “A law will be presented to the GNC to support it.”
This May, Human Rights Watch urged the Libyan government and Congress to work towards guaranteeing full equality between men and women within the new constitution. Libya is party to the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women and other international agreements that require gender equality to be enshrined in legislation.
Marghani also reiterated past government commitments to provide reparations for victims of the Qaddafi regime, particularly political prisoners.
“The government will honour its financial commitments towards political prisoners and solutions will be discussed by the GNC by mid-October 2013,” Marghani said, adding that the Ministry of Finance would be instructed to make the necessary funds available. Compensating victims of the former regime was, he said, a part of the transitional justice process.
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