10 % is Women’s Share in the 50-member Committee for Amending the Constitution

10 % is Women’s Share in the 50-member Committee for Amending the Constitution after 7 % Representation in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Committee

(Cairo September 2nd, 2013) The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) & the Parliament of Defending Women’s Rights denounce the poor female representation in the formation of the 50-member Committee which is 10%. This representation is shocking after the June 30th revolution where women contributed to it against the excluding women by the Muslim Brotherhood. After the 2nd wave of the revolution, June 30th 2013, the 50-member committee comes with a 3% difference compared to the Muslim Brotherhood committee. Consequently, firm guarantees should be given to ensure women’s participation through determining quota for women at all levels; decision-making positions, executive, legislative and judicial authorities in order to pass peacefully the transitional period to a democratic period and express the ambitions of all Egyptian women and men.

It is worth mentioning that Egypt witnesses a decline among the countries regarding the women’s participation in decision-making reached its peak in 2013. Egypt ranked 139 out of 142 among 189 countries through women’s representation which is 2%. This led women to participate strongly in the squares of the revolution demanding the change and refusing the exclusion.

The 10-member committee for amending the constitution included no female experts which resulted in issuing a draft of constitution which didn’t stipulate the least of women’s demands or what the women’s movements submitted of articles and suggestions to be included in the draft. Moreover, the draft of the constitution doesn’t include any articles ensure women’s political participation, as if women’s participation in the revolution and going out in million man marches to the squares to be subjected to all risks is a national duty of her, whereas her participation in the transitional period and democratic transition is not women’s business. The 50-member committee was formed with a percentage of women’s participation doesn’t exceed 10% with a difference 3% of the Muslim Brotherhood committee which included 7% of women’s representation.

ECWR has already submitted a suggestion of the need of women’s participation including at least one-third and proposed the mechanism of achieving that to help the decision makers to consider these demands, but these proposals were ignored.

Therefore, The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) & the Parliament of Defending Women’s Rights denounce the formation of this committee which didn’t represent women fairly even with the availability of qualified women. Also, they denounce continuing the policies of ignoring women’s voices and demand women’s representation at least one-third (35%) as a guarantee of participation in order to commit everyone to find a solution to overcome the continuous policy of exclusion of women. Provided that, Women’s representation should be involved in all decision-making positions, executive, legislative and judicial authorities in order to pass peacefully the transitional period to a democratic period and express the ambitions of all Egyptian groups; women and men.