Story highlights Jordan is set to scrap a law that acquits rapists who marry victims

Activists say there is popular support for reform of rape laws

Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) Several Middle Eastern countries are facing growing pressure to close legal loopholes that allow rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims.

Jordan and Lebanon have taken recent steps to end such laws, which often date back to the colonial era and have been condemned by rights groups as archaic and inhumane.

On Sunday, Jordan's cabinet moved to abolish a law that lets rapists avoid prosecution if they stay married to their victim for at least three years -- a proposal endorsed by King Abdullah and expected to be ratified by parliament.

Leila Hamarneh, Director of Projects at the Amman-based Arab Women's Organization, described the mood among activists in Jordan Tuesday as optimistic and expressed confidence that other countries in the region would follow suit.

"It's not just that this article was ugly, but there is now new hope that something good will be done for women," Hamarneh told CNN. "The winds of change are here."

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