Cairo, March 8, 2024
In recent years, Egypt has witnessed the issuance of several promising laws aimed at protecting Egyptian women – if implemented – in a way that achieves substantial justice. However, in many cases, these laws have turned into mere ink on paper, and we highlight the following:
- The Law on the Protection of Data of Victims of Sexual Violence, which has not been enforced despite being enacted four years ago (Law No. 177 of 2020 amending certain provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law by adding a new article (113 bis)). This article prohibits the disclosure of the personal data of victims of harassment, violence, and rape. However, this provision has not been implemented to safeguard the victims of sexual violence from data breaches, threats, and retaliation. The implementation of this article required the installation of software on police computers to convert the names of victims of sexual violence into codes, but this has not happened. As a result, many girls have refrained from reporting any sexual violations they have experienced.
- The Law on Protection against Electronic Extortion – shelve the case – which has become the initial decision of the prosecution in such cases (Law No. 177 of 2018 on combating information technology crimes). This law is supposed to protect women from violence and electronic extortion. However, the main problem is that most complaints filed under this law are shelved by the Public Prosecution Office. The victim is forced to file a complaint against the shelve decision, which may prolong the investigation for up to a whole year. This situation causes constant bleeding for the victims, considering the pressure exerted on them and their families due to electronic violence. In some cases, this may push the victims to commit suicide, as has already happened to several victims, including a student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Al-Arish University. ECWR has received dozens of reports of electronic extortion in various prosecution offices across the country, with investigations typically lasting an average of 9 months.
- Domestic Violence: Crimes without Punishment; Women are subjected to various forms of domestic violence, whether from their husbands, fathers, or brothers. According to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics for the year 2021, 31% of married women in the age group of 15-49 reported experiencing at least one form of physical, sexual, and/or psychological violence, committed by their current or previous spouse. Reports and counter-reports that husbands may file if their wives, who are victims of violence, decide to file an official complaint contribute to terrorizing women. They find themselves both victims and accused at the same time. There is no effective mechanism to protect women and girls from domestic violence against them.
Therefore, ECWR calls for:
- Achieving swift and effective justice, which should be the goal of all laws.
- The existence of real guarantees to protect women from violence in all its forms.
- The establishment of a mechanism to monitor the implementation of laws and assess their effectiveness in protecting women from violence.
