CAIRO: The Islamic Research Center sent a new draft law to the People's Assembly (PA), amending divorced parents' custody rights, Sheikh Ismail Abou Haytham, from the office of the secretary general of the Islamic Research Center, told Daily News Egypt. "The law was debated and finalized inside the Islamic Research Center and sent discreetly to the PA, upon the assembly's request, Abou Haytham said. The new law seeks to change mothers' custody back to 10 years old for boys, down from 15, and 12 years old for girls, down from 18, the way it was before recent amendments, in order to enhance the father's role in their lives, especially during adolescence. On the other hand, Moshira Khattab, head of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood told the press that "the law needs another look from a different perspective. According to Khattab, it must keep the child's best interest in mind "and that is the only criteria upon which the decision should be based, she said in a phone interview on "Al-Beit Betak talk show last month. Last June, the PA approved changes to the current child law that was originally introduced by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. The most important amendment was one criminalizing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), stipulating a fine of LE 1,000-5,000 or a prison sentence of between three months to two years for anyone found guilty of conducting an FGM procedure. The changes also gave the mother of an illegitimate child the right to issue a birth certificate for her child even if the father is not present. Another draft law, sent by MP Mohamed Khalil Kwaitah at the end of last year's parliamentary session, proposed giving a rape victim the right to have an abortion.
