Small Cabinet meeting approves draft law on maternity and paternity leave

Tunis: The draft law on maternity and paternity leave was approved after a number of amendments at a small Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani at the Government Palace on Tuesday.Opening the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that the state has a duty to protect the family as the basic cell of society, as stipulated in Article 12 of the Constitution, and to enshrine equality for all without discrimination, as stipulated in Article 23 of the Constitution.He stressed that the State is committed to protecting, supporting and developing the acquired rights of women and pays great attention to issues related to the family and the well-being of its members, as it is the central pillar for consolidating the spirit of solidarity and positive citizenship.Minister of the Family, Women, Children and the Elderly, Amal Belhaj Moussa presented at the meeting the draft law, which aims to improve and develop maternity and paternity leave systems and ensure equality between the public and private s ectors.The meeting was also attended by Minister of Interior Kamel Feki, Minister of Finance Sihem Bougdiri Nemsia and Minister of Health Ali Mrabet.The current laws on maternity and paternity leave have not been revised since 1983 for the public sector and 1974 for the private sector and are no longer in line with current social developments.The approved bill will be submitted to the Cabinet meeting.Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse