sentences:  Indeed, a revised Family Code came into effect in 2000, advocating the principles of gender equality.This raised the minimum age of marriage from 15 to 18 years old and established women rights in terms of sharing any assets the household has accumulated.The Ethiopian penal code states that it is a crime to beat one’s wife, and harmful traditional practices such as early marriage, abduction and female genital mutilation are now also considered to be a crime.