(Cairo, November 25, 2020) In participation of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” Universal Campaign, the Egyptian Centre for Women Rights (ECWR) launches “A Safe Home for Women and Girls” Campaign since the percentage of women and girls being victims of domestic violence is alarming. Our centre receives many complaints and consultation requests to combat domestic violence. Among these cases is “Shadia” (nickname), a 20-year-old girl that is exposed to domestic violence alongside with her mother from her father. This resulted in her mother leaving the house where Shadia became exposed to more violence from her father who forces her to serve him. He, and her siblings, also forbid her from going to university and from going out in general. In addition, Shadia’s privacy was breached continuously; her phone calls were constantly eavesdropped. Therefore, Shadia resorted to reporting to ECWR to ask for protection and for being transferred to one of the shelters for battered women.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, ECWR has provided all the support to Shadia. However, there are many cases like Shadia that are unable to seek help and ask for support. The Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) and the National Council of women conducted a survey that aimed to measure the economic cost of gender-based violence, and the results showed that 46% of women who get married between the age of 18 to 64 experience marital violence. This violence takes forms of physical, psychological, or sexual violence. Moreover, results also show that in one year, 43% of women suffered from consequent injuries of the violence that was targeted against them. Generally, in Egypt, there are around one million women who left their households because of marital violence. Therefore, according to this survey, the estimated economic cost for women resorting to alternative housing is EGP 585 million.
The issue of “domestic violence” is not only exclusive for women, but it is also extended to children. Whereas, 300,000 children suffer from fear and nightmares from domestic violence and 113,000 children misses school annually as a result of the domestic violence they experience.
Therefore, ECWR launches its “A Safe Home for Women and Girls” campaign to raise awareness on the consequences of domestic violence and to offer legal support for battered women. It also aims to advocate for drafting and issuing a law that combats domestic violence that not only protects women and girls, but also to provide clear procedures on how to be protected from domestic violence.
In addition, ECWR is also launching an online training titled “How to Live Happily?” which aims to raise awareness on the dangers of gender-based violence against women as one of the biggest violations to human rights and highlight its impacts on the quality of living on everyone. It also aims to discuss the root causes of gender-based violence, considering it as the main factor behind hinder power relations in society. Another important point to discuss is stressing on the importance of working on limiting society’s discrimination against women since it is one of the main reasons behind the societal power imbalance. This is going to be conducted by presenting and airing 8 videos throughout the month.
