Egyptian Women and the Media Forum

(Cairo March 9th, 2014) The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights has launched an initiative entitled ‘Egyptian Women and the Media Forum’ which aims to make available all information, data and statistics regarding women’s issues and civil society. The initiative comes in response to observations by ECWR that journalists lack sufficient information and data concerning women’s issues in Egypt.

ECWR therefore intends to facilitate access to information regarding women by making available the results of its cumulative experience analysing the status of women over the last 10 years in its annual Egyptian Women’s Status Reports. These reports analyse developments in the position of women in Egyptian society by drawing on information published in local sources and in international reports, such as the Human Development Report and reports by the World Bank and the UN, in order to compare the status of women in Egypt with that of women around the world.

In addition, ECWR will release press briefings on its website summarising the important issues raised in this field today to assists journalists and media professionals in making available the information and statistics they are researching.
ECWR will also put forward the names of female experts in different fields for the Egyptian media.

ECWR launched this initiative with a number of journalists supportive of the idea who have requested closer collaboration. A monthly meeting will therefore be held with opportunity before each meeting to put forward ideas on issues about which the press need additional information and would like included on that meeting’s agenda.

The initiative was launched during a meeting between ECWR and a number of journalists from newspapers such as ‘Al-Gomhoraya, ‘Al-Sada’ magazine, ‘Rose al-Yusuf’ magazine, ‘Aqidati’, the Spanish Broadcasting Network, ‘Al-Shorouk’ and Radio Sawa.

Discussions focused on some of the central issues affecting women and society today, including paternity issues, the execution of children, plus a review of the situation Egyptian women have found themselves in over the previous year. Discussions finally turned to acquainting journalists with the UN Commission on the Status of Women which meets annually in March to review the position and situation of women across the world.