Women & girls’ rights in the MENA region

An overview of women’s rights in the region

Women across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face systemic legal discrimination, particularly in family law, nationality rights, and protection from gender-based violence. Despite international commitments, many countries maintain legal frameworks that restrict women’s autonomy, deny them equal citizenship rights, and fail to protect them from violence. While some reforms have been introduced, progress remains slow and inconsistent. 

Legal inequalities: nationality and citizenship

Many MENA countries deny women the right to pass nationality to their children and spouses on equal terms with men, leading to statelessness and limited access to education, healthcare, and employment. Key concerns include:

• Nationality laws in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Lebanon prevent women from automatically conferring citizenship, denying children of foreign fathers some rights 
• Attempts at reform have been made in some countries, but full equality in nationality laws remains unachieved

Recommendations for governments across the region:

Amend nationality laws to allow women to pass citizenship to their children and spouses on equal terms with men, so that: 

• • all women and men can equally confer citizenship on their children wherever born, whether born in or out of marriage (whether heterosexual or same-sex), and whether the child is adopted or not 
  • all women and men can equally confer citizenship on their spouses, whether married at home or abroad 
  • foreign women and men do not automatically lose their new nationality on termination of the marriage 
  • women do not automatically lose or gain nationality on marriage to a spouse of another nationality without their active consent 
  • a change in the father’s nationality does not automatically mean loss of nationality for his spouse and children 
  • there is consistency between all laws and regulations dealing with the issue in order that all provisions treat all men and women equally and fairly, and that these provisions are clear to both those wanting to take advantage of them and those implementing them

Learn more in our 2025 report, Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing+30 Review Process.

Sexual violence and roadblocks to justice

Despite growing awareness, sexual violence remains prevalent and under-addressed across the region. Key concerns include:

• Marital rape is not criminalized in many MENA countries, reinforcing male control over women in marriage
• Honor crimes continue to occur, with some countries still providing lenient sentences for perpetrators of sexual violence
• Existing rape laws in many jurisdictions fail to adequately protect women because they are based on the use of force, threat, or coercion rather than the absence of freely given consent

Recommendations for governments across the region:

• Enact comprehensive sexual and domestic violence laws, including protections against marital rape.
• Amend rape laws and reform the justic system to make it victim-centered
• Remove legal barriers and harmful provisions that enable honor crimes and enforce strict penalties for perpetrators.

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

FGM remains a serious issue in certain parts of the region, despite international commitments to eliminate the practice, for example:

• Oman and the UAE lack explicit laws criminalizing FGM, allowing the practice to persist
• FGM prevalence varies by country, with some areas showing high rates of cutting despite legal prohibitions
• In Egypt, 87.2% of women and girls aged 15–49 in Egypt have undergone FGM. The practice in Egypt is highly medicalized; medical practitioners are performing the cuts, giving a veneer of legitimacy to what is fundamentally a harmful, illegal act.
• In Sudan, girls between the ages of 5 and 9 are often subjected to FGM by traditional midwives, often with devastating consequences.

Recommendations for governments across the region:

• Outlaw FGM under national laws, ensuring compliance with CEDAW and regional and international human rights treaties​.
• Implement culturally sensitive community outreach programs.
• Expand healthcare and support services for survivors, including reconstructive surgery and trauma counseling​.
• Host countries adopt and enforce policies that ensure the protection, support, and empowerment of migrant girls, addressing their specific vulnerabilities and rights.

Restrictions under family law

Most MENA countries enforce male guardianship systems, which limit women’s legal and personal freedoms. Key concerns include:

• Marriage and Divorce: Women often require male guardian approval to marry, while men can divorce unilaterally
• Child Custody: Fathers frequently receive legal preference in custody disputes, reducing women’s parental rights
• Inheritance Laws: Many countries enforce gender-biased inheritance laws, granting women only half the share of their male relatives
• Distribution of marital wealth: Divorced women and widows are frequently denied a fair share of matrimonial assets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) because of discriminatory family laws and practices. 

Recommendations for governments across the region:

• Ensure equal rights for women in marriage, divorce, custody and guardianship of children, and inheritance.
• Make equality in family law, its policies, and practices a regional and national priority in compliance with international human rights standards.
• Encourage and support partner women’s rights organizations to campaign for family law reform.
• Awareness-raising about the urgent need to strengthen and secure wives’ financial rights. 
• Arab countries can adopt specific legal regulations to be annexed to the marriage contract. These regulations should clarify the rights of both spouses and act as a legal guarantee to enable women to claim their rights regarding joint property and assets acquired during marriage.

Equality Now works with partners in the Middle East and North Africa region to address inequalities in the law, particularly in family laws, supports activists working to end harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation, as well as campaigning for stronger laws and practices around sexual violence to ensure that women and girls are fully protected from violence and have access to justice when their rights are violated.