There are still 20 countries that allow rapists to escape criminal prosecution if they marry their victims, according to a report published by the United Nations.
The UN's annual state of the world population report said the so-called "marry your rapist" laws in these countries were "deeply wrong."
The countries that were among those mentioned in the report included Russia, Venezuela, Thailand, Niger, Mali, and Senegal. In the countries mentioned, rape convictions can be overturned if rapists choose to marry the women or girls they had sexually assaulted.
The executive director of the U.N. Population Fund, Dr. Natalie Kanem, said such laws are against women's rights and were clearly passed as a way of "subjugating women."
"The denial of rights cannot be shielded in law. 'Marry your rapist' laws shift the burden of guilt onto the victim and try to sanitize a situation which is criminal," Kanem said.
The director of Equality Now's Middle East and Africa region, Dima Dabbous, said in the report that such laws are a reflection of some cultures that do not give women equal rights and consider them as properties of the family. Dabbous described these cultures as "antiquated" and "tribal" in nature.
Dabbuos, whose research was cited, acknowledge that it would be "very difficult" to change such laws in some countries but it is "not impossible."
Dabbous cited the recent repeal of a law in Morocco following days of protests after a young woman had committed suicide when she was forced to marry her rapists. Following the reform, other countries such as Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia also abolished similar laws.
The UNFPA said marriage laws that subordinate women are still prolific and are difficult to root out. The agency said at least 43 countries have no laws in place to protect women from marital rape.
The report focused on women's bodily autonomy, or their right to be physically free from coercion or violence. The report said at least 45% of women in 57 different countries are denied the right to say no to sex or use contraception.
