Call to bring guardianship laws into 21st century

The day before Aly Hegazy graduated from high school in June 2020, his father died from cancer after a long illness. The grief of losing him was compounded by the realisation that, without his father's signature,Hegazy would be unable to go to university

- Edmund Bower CAIRO

Under Egyptian law, responsibility for Hegazy, who was 17 at the time, and his younger brother fell not to his mother but to his 90-year-old grandfather, who had dementia.

Hegazy's mother, Eman Helal, began the long process of challenging the country's guardianship law to take control of her family affairs and get access to her late husband's pension and bank accounts. Three years on, her legal difficulties continue. "We weren't ready for any of this," said Hegazy.

The guardianship legislation is one of a number of "personal status laws" that lawyers say are outdated.