In the past few years, many countries in this tumultuous area have revised their laws to grant woman considerable more legal rights than they have had in the past, particularly in the realm of marriage; however, these revisions are frequently ignored or interpretation is skewed by the courts to rule in favor of the husband. Bailyn, a skilled divorce lawyer in the United States, hopes that by offering his legal insights, he can help these marginalized women to receive their fair share of the assets accumulated in the course of the marriage.
“Many of these women come out of these proceedings with absolutely nothing,” says Bailyn. “And not only that, but more often than not the courts also make these women repay their dowries to their husbands, so they’re essentially buying their way out of the marriage. It’s sexism at its worst, and it’s a violation of basic human rights.”
Earlier in his career, Bailyn worked with the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on the Rwanda Task Force, a group of New York based lawyers that provide legal assistance to Rwandan refugees. He says that it was his work with this group that inspired him to begin this new project.
“I’ve been really successful in my work, an as a result have reaped the monetary rewards of that success,” says Bailyn. “But to be able to help people who are in such dire need to gain rights that we take for granted in the U.S…there’
Further information about women’s rights in North African countries can be found at the Human Rights Watch website, www.hrw.org.
