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In 1979, Egypt’s former first lady Jehan Sadat helped lead a campaign to grant women new rights to divorce their husbands and retain custody of their children.
Married to President Anwar Sadat, she wanted to play a more active role than the wives of previous leaders and told her husband it was his duty to make Egypt more equal for women.
After some persuasion, he issued decrees improving the divorce status of women despite facing a backlash, and these became known as “Jehan's laws”.
Produced and presented by Reena Stanton-Sharma.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
(Photo: Jehan Sadat in 1975. Credit: Hilaria McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
By BBC World Service4.5
903903 ratings
In 1979, Egypt’s former first lady Jehan Sadat helped lead a campaign to grant women new rights to divorce their husbands and retain custody of their children.
Married to President Anwar Sadat, she wanted to play a more active role than the wives of previous leaders and told her husband it was his duty to make Egypt more equal for women.
After some persuasion, he issued decrees improving the divorce status of women despite facing a backlash, and these became known as “Jehan's laws”.
Produced and presented by Reena Stanton-Sharma.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
(Photo: Jehan Sadat in 1975. Credit: Hilaria McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive via Getty Images)

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