Violence against women, Algeria made 'progress', despite compensation

Algeria has made "progress" in terms of the taking care of women victims of sexual abuse, but the financial compensation "is not sufficient," director of the Amnesty International (AI)’s Algeria section Hassina Oussedik said Tuesday during a press conference held on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Noting that one out three women are victims of this type of abuse in the world, the representative of Amnesty International called for a "comprehensive approach" to tackle this scourge.
Recalling the international petition launched by AI in March 2014, Oussedik said that as part of a Maghreb awareness campaign, Tunisian and Moroccan authorities "were challenged by the petition which collected, hitherto almost 20,000 signatures in the Maghreb," she said.
Calling for a revision of the Criminal Code as regards the provisions inherent to the sexually abused women, Oussedik stressed the need to repeal section 326 authorizing the aggressor to marry his minor victim.
Indeed, the article stipulates that "when a kidnapped or diverted minor removed marry the abductor, the latter cannot be prosecuted on complaints by persons entitled to apply for an annulment of the marriage and cannot be sentenced only after the cancellation was delivered."
Oussedik further criticized the provision which frees the aggressor from prosecution in cases of the victim’s "forgiveness", arguing that the man has "weight" in “our” society and "authorizes it to exercise different forms of violence on women."
The State is also invited to "work closely with organizations and associations of human rights," recommended the speaker, while emphasizing the involvement of civil society through a "strong mobilization" on this issue.