Family law reform in Sudan: A never ending story?

Abstract

The family law in Sudan, legalises child marriage, stipulates a wife’s obedience to her husband, and gives the male guardian veto power on women’s consent to marriage. #JusticeforNoura has shone a spotlight on early and forced marriage as well as the continued legality of marital rape in Sudan. 19 year old Noura Hussein was sentenced to death for murdering the husband her relatives had forced her to marry after he raped her. It is urgent to reform the family law, and changes both within and outside the government suggest that now it can actually be possible. This brief outlines the history of the family law and offers clear recommendations to the Sudanese government.