Libyan prime minister under fire for comments about unmarried women

The National News 

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah caused an outcry on Wednesday when he made what critics said were misogynistic comments about unmarried women.

At an event to celebrate a grant to the marriage fund in Tripoli, Mr Dbeibah said he wanted to “revitalise the market” for unmarried women to make the prospect of marriage more lucrative.

“Sometimes we give bonuses, especially for older women,” he said.

Mr Dbeibah established the marital support fund to encourage Libyans to marry during a financial crisis that has emerged since the 2011 toppling of dictator Muammar Qaddafi and the subsequent civil war. He proposed in October to pay 40,000 Libyan dinars ($8,700) to each new Libyan couple upon marriage, to help start their life together.

تعليقا على كلمة رئيس حكومة الوحدة الوطنية المؤقتة، عبدالحميد الدبيبة، في حق النساء العازبات اللاتي تأخرن في الزواج: «أريد أن نحرك سوقهن».#الليبيات_مواطنات_لسن_سلعة#انهاء_العنف_ضد_المرأة#ليبياpic.twitter.com/XSLAaMCIY4

— Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (@LWPP_Org) December 29, 2021

The remarks sparked uproar online, with the hashtag “Libyan women are citizens, not a commodity” trending. Critics accused Mr Dbeibah of implying women were valuable only as prospects for marriage.

In a televised press conference on Thursday, Mr Dbeibah refused to apologise and defended himself against the widespread criticism, which he said came from “people residing outside Libya” and those “unfamiliar” with the Libyan culture and way of speaking…