ECWR is troubled and disappointed by a project study conducted for the establishment of women-only taxis similar to the women-only cars in the Metro.
ECWR considers such a project as segregation towards women and a naive attempt to solve a problem that will in turn have dangerous effects on social and security problems. The solutions to these problems require hard work, proper planning, and studying the roots causes, as opposed to creating women designated areas that restrict and isolate women.
The taxi company approached ECWR with the project and asked for consultation on the subject, but we out rightly refused. Furthermore, we clarified the danger of these projects on the participation of women in public life and the negative social impact on Egyptian culture. For instance, some families may insist that their daughters and wives use only these vehicles, which restrict the mobility and freedom of women and will have dangerous effects in the long run.
ECWR adamantly opposes such a project, and ECWR considers the work of such projects a deterioration of rights in the following ways:
- The Juridical Level: It is considered unconstitutional and contradicts charters and international conventions that Egypt has agreed to, especially article (3) of the International Declaration of Human Rights that states, “every individual has the right to life, liberty and security of person” and not to be segregated.
- The Religious Level: There is no text in Sharia (Islamic law) that states women should be isolated within a society. In fact, isolation is considered to be a misuse and abuse of Islam and all religions, which contributes to the solidifying of negative images of Arab society at the expense of values that respect freedom and justice.
- The Societal Level: This will contribute to further segregation to solve problems, and it may extend to universities, workplaces, and other public spaces, which will contribute to the dangerous termination of development efforts. ECWR is frightened by the spread of segregation in society in all aspects of life, especially since the governor of Alexandria began to study segregation as a solution to the growing problems of harassment and congestion. Further segregation has occurred in several schools, especially private schools that were overlooked by the Ministry of Education. These schools decided to separate boys and girls within primary classrooms, claiming that there will be more discipline fostering educational progress. However, the goal and result is to keep children from acting out, instead of improving the educational process. Thus, the Ministry of Education decided to separate girls and boys from the beginning of the education system, which is a reversion of Egyptian society to 100 years ago.
Thus, how can we build a future for society that enhances citizen participation while we are solving problems with the idea of segregation?
ECWR Demands:
- All governors should make a plan to regain security in the streets, providing traffic services and satisfactory transportation for women, men, and all peoples.
- The abolishment of the women’s car in the Metro, providing adequate Metro services, reducing the period between trains and ensuring safe transportation for all.
- An immediate investigation of the Ministry of Education with regards to private schools and the separation of male and female students in classrooms.
- We appreciate the Ministry of Interior for their efforts regarding security campaigns to confront sexual harassment in the streets and their quick response to the notifications of women, but we demand more efforts to achieve better results and to maintain safe streets for men and women.
- All official bodies, civil society movements and scholarly communities should commit to confronting segregation, which has begun to spread in daily life and threatens to restore Egyptian society to the Dark Ages.
