Lebanon abolishes 'marry-the-rapist' clause

Lebanon's Parliament has voted to repeal a clause that lets rapists off the hook if they marry their victims, according to the country's official news agency.

It follows in the footsteps of Jordan and Tunisia, which annulled their "marry-the-rapist" clauses in recent weeks.

There are still seven countries in the Arab world that spare rapists punishment on condition they marry their victims. But all face growing pressure from activists to drop that provision.

The Lebanese vote comes eight months after a parliamentary committee announced a plan to abolish the clause. The move awaited ratification by Parliament.

In May of last year, Bahrain's Parliament voted to scrap a similar legal provision there, although the cabinet has yet to approve the move. There is no such requirement in Lebanon.