CAIRO: Marriage registrars (ma'zoun) renewed their request to parliament Thursday to form a union overseeing their welfare and protecting their rights. The marriage registrars had made the same request last year and were promised that their demands would be met by the government. They threatened to stage a number of protests in front of the People's Assembly building and the Ministry of Justice. Marriage registrars sent a request to parliament along with a study prepared by Mostafa El-Sherif, their official spokesman, indicating that the justice ministry has no direct relationship with their professional status but are rather only involved in their work's regulatory aspects. This, the study says, is proof that the ministry is not at liberty to approve or deny the creation of a union or supreme council to manage their affairs and provide proper health and social care plans. El-Sherif explained that the study outlined the historic aspects of the development of the profession in Egypt ever since it emerged in the Fatimid era. It also cited the registrars' elections as well as the law that gives the justice minister the authority to set the bylaws regulating their work. The study also indicated the history behind the profession, saying that registering marriages and divorces was done by judges. It also highlighted the marriage registrars' role in family development, citing ways they can contribute to the development of society as a whole. Copies of the study were sent to several government bodies and officials including Secretary General of the National Democratic Party's policies committee Gamal Mubarak as well as MPs, according to El-Sherif. "Anger is boiling among marriage registrars because the Ministry of Justice is yet to fulfill its promises of establishing a legal entity for them by the end of last January, El-Sherif said. "We will stage protests against the justice ministry in the coming period to protect our rights in establishing a syndicate. There are approximately 8,000 ma'zouns in Egypt. In 2009 the profession came under the spotlight when Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud announced that several marriage registrars will be put on trial for conducting underage marriages. More than 9,300 such marriages were registered in Egypt over the past year and conducting such marriages has become punishable by law as a result.
