Cairo, April 26, 2026
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) followed with great interest the televised interview featuring Ms. Nehad Aboul Komsan, ECWR’s Chair, and media figure Magdy El-Gallad. The discussion offered a precise and courageous diagnosis of the personal status crisis in Egypt and put forward a set of realistic legislative and procedural solutions that together constitute a long-awaited roadmap for meaningful reform.
ECWR affirms that the issues raised during the interview clearly demonstrate that the personal status crisis is no longer merely a dispute between a man and a woman; rather, it has become a matter that affects social stability and family cohesion. This places a responsibility on the state to fully assume its role as both regulator and guarantor of justice, instead of leaving citizens caught in cycles of conflict and burdensome legal procedures.
Within this comprehensive framework, Ms. Aboul Komsan outlined the key pillars of the reform agenda as follows:
First: State Responsibility for Ensuring Family Justice
Ms. Aboul Komsan stressed that the absence of effective state intervention, combined with inadequate management of this critical issue, has turned it into a societal battleground between men and women—undermining justice and ultimately harming the best interests of children. The Center emphasizes that this issue must be treated as a political and legislative priority, with no room for delay.
Second: Ending Legislative Fragmentation and Simplifying Litigation Procedures
The discussion highlighted the significant complexity and hardship faced by women in securing their legal rights, particularly when compared to several Arab countries that have adopted a “single court” system to adjudicate all family disputes efficiently. ECWR believes that unifying and simplifying legal procedures is a fundamental step toward delivering timely justice while preserving the dignity of all parties involved.
Third: Limiting Legal Recognition of Divorce to Court Registration:
The Center underscored the importance of restricting legal recognition of divorce to official court registration. This measure is essential to safeguarding the rights of all parties and preventing the legal uncertainty associated with informal verbal divorce, which often leads to the loss of rights for women and children.
Fourth: Establishing a Comprehensive Child Protection System
ECWR called for the creation of an effective child protection framework during and after family disputes. This includes establishing a specialized body or council with real authority to safeguard children’s rights, enforcing strict measures to address child abduction and the use of children as leverage in disputes, and ensuring the humane and consistent implementation of visitation and custody arrangements in line with the best interests of the child.
Fifth: Promoting Financial Transparency and Ending Income Manipulation
The discussion also highlighted the urgent need for the state to ensure accurate income disclosure through integrated digital systems linking relevant government entities. This would help eliminate the widespread manipulation of financial records and ensure that children receive fair and adequate financial support.
Sixth: Supporting Stability Through Complementary Social Policies
The interview presented a holistic vision that extends beyond legal reform to include supportive social policies. These include facilitating access to appropriate housing for divorced men and women based on need, thereby mitigating the social impact of separation and helping to maintain stability for children.
Seventh: Promoting a Balanced and Non-Polarizing Discourse
ECWR emphasized that Ms. AboulKomsan’s approach was notably balanced and avoided vilifying any party. She stressed that justice cannot be achieved through conflict between men and women, but rather by confronting injustice wherever it exists—whether in legislation or in practice—while recognizing that many men actively uphold rights and support justice.
Urgent Call to the Minister of Justice:
ECWR renews its call for immediate administrative measures that do not require waiting for legislative amendments. Chief among these is the reform of operational procedures within family courts to expedite case resolution and ensure the effective enforcement of rulings, as this constitutes the cornerstone of any meaningful reform.
ECWR’s Statement:
The positions presented in this discussion reflect the voice of a broad and reasoned majority seeking a fair and balanced system that protects the family and safeguards the rights of all its members, away from polarization or populist rhetoric.
The goal is not to secure victory for one side over another, but to achieve genuine justice—one that places the best interests of the child at its core and restores public confidence in the justice system.
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights
Together for a society grounded in justice and equality
