Zanzibar MPs scrap schoolgirl ban

Women groups had been campaigning to abolish the ban

A three-decade law banning pregnant girls from attending school has been scrapped by MPs in Zanzibar.

Under the ban, girls under 18 who became pregnant on the semi-autonomous Tanzanian islands had to drop out of school and could not return.

Women's groups had been campaigning to abolish the law saying it infringed on the girls' human rights.

The BBC's Ally Saleh in Zanzibar says it has been hailed as a landmark for the predominantly Muslim archipelago.

This is one of a number of gender sensitive decisions Zanzibar has made in recent months, our correspondent says.

Following elections last October, 30% of MPs are now women - the quota set by regional bodies - and there are four female ministers in Zanzibar's cabinet.

The opposition Civic United Front staged a walkout during the parliamentary vote, saying it did not recognise the new government claiming electoral fraud.

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