On the national level in keeping with its commitiment to the cause, Egypt put forth a lot of effort on the legislative side. In 1996, it ratified the Child Law as being the first legislative instrument protecting children's rights in Egypt, by placing their best interests as the highest priority. These rights are provided for by the divine scriptures, the Shari'a, the principles of the Egyptian Constitution, and the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Child Law provides for healthcare, social, and educational services. It also focuses on the working mother, the handicapped child and his rehabilitation, education, and on the child's criminal responsibility.
In 2008 amendments were made to the Child law. The real siginificance of those amemndments is that they adopt a rights-based approach, for some Egyptian children are victims deprived of their rights to education, health and social care, and especially the right to family care. Therefore, such modifications aim at changing the way in which society views such children."
