![]() ![]() Her father-in-law had not left the house for seven years so was unable to attend court to sign the guardianship over to her. ![]() ![]() Photograph: Handoutįor months after her husband died, Helal struggled financially. Mona Zaki, who plays Hanan in the hit TV drama Under Guardianship, in which a widow is forced to confront a patriarchal legal system to keep custody of her children. It led the country’s MPs to submit amendments to update the 75-year-old law, but campaigners are sceptical that the slow-moving Egyptian parliament can deliver substantial change. The drama series Under Guardianship, which was aired on Egyptian television this year during Ramadan in March and April, followed the struggles of a bereaved mother trying to raise two children whose guardianship had passed to their grandfather. They stem from a passage in the Qur’an that says: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more than the other, and because they support them from their means.” The guardianship legislation is one of a number of “personal status laws” that lawyers say are outdated and treat women like criminals. “We weren’t ready for any of this,” says Hegazy. Three years on, her legal difficulties continue. Still in mourning, Hegazy’s mother, Eman Helal, began the long, slow process of challenging the country’s guardianship law to take control of her family affairs and get access to her late husband’s pension and bank accounts. A treasured photo of Aly Hegazy’s late father with his mother, Eman Helal, and younger brother. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |