The battle of the sexes has been prevalent since the beginning of time. In some countries, women have overcame the barriers and have gained their rights. However, there are still some countries fighting for these rights till today. One of these countries is Egypt. On May 15th, the Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development Center in Cairo launched a project to enlist men to fight violence against women.
According to a study conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the end of 2013, Egypt topped the list of countries in the Arab world in the suppression of women’s rights. In attempt to change this bitter reality, the Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development Center in Cairo decided to get the opposite sex to take initiative and speak up for Egyptian women’s rights.
The center’s gender programs director, Yara Fathi, told Al-Monitor that the new campaign will emphasize that men can help stop violence against women. Getting men involved will raise the issue’s visibility and provide male mentors to speak with other men about the importance of the topic.
Even the National Council for Women of Egypt has adopted a number of measures to curb this issue. This includes amending Article 11 of the constitution to make it more equitable. It now reads,
“The state is committed to protecting women against all forms of violence.”
Nuhad Abu al-Qomsan, the head of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, told Al-Monitor that developing a process to help harassed women file complaints, in addition to imposing penalties as a deterrent for harassers are among the most important mechanisms available to help control this phenomenon.
This project is focusing more on Gaza and Egypt for the time being. However, organizers plan to run the campaign to recruit men through the end of the year, and once it is successful, to implement it in other provinces. This is a great step towards improving the conditions of women all over the Arab world.
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