Ending All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls
Women’s right to live free from violence is upheld by international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), especially through General Recommendations 12 and 19, and the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. In its efforts to end violence against women, Egypt has achieved several milestones, including:
- A constitutional provision to protect women from violence (Article 11 of the 2014 Constitution)
- The adoption of amendments to the Penal Code to end sexual harassment and Female Genital Mutilation, and procedural changes to support the protection of identity of those who have experienced sexual violence and have brought their case forward for prosecution. {To read UN Women Egypt Press Release}
- The adoption of the National Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women (2015–2020).
- The inclusion of violence against women as a priority of the National Strategy on Women's Empowerment 2030.
In line with Egypt’s international and national commitments and building on existing frameworks, UN Women in Egypt works in partnership with the Egyptian Government and working with civil society organizations to enhance efforts to translate commitments into actions through a multitude of programmes on ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG).
UN Women has partnered with nationally led investments in strengthened policy and regulatory frameworks to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, specifically the amendment of the Penal Code (306/2014) which defined and criminalized sexual harassment for the first time in Egyptian law; and the National Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women, which came into effect in April 2015. Further, an Observatory on the Status of Women was launched by the NCW to track progress on the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women. UN Women supports nationally-led evidence generation and analysis including national research to analyze trends on marriage and divorce in the context of the Egyptian family law. In partnership with the National Council for Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women have supported the country’s first study on violence against women living with disabilities.
Technical support has been complemented with several nationwide media campaigns raising general public awareness on women’s rights and access to services and creating safe spaces for women and girls, on billboards, radio, television, social media and community based, which have successfully contributed to breaking the silence and sparking open debate around the issue.
The ECO has several programmes that focus on ending violence against women:
- Creating safe cities and safe public spaces for women and girls.
- Prevention and access to essential services to end violence against women and girls
- Eliminating female genital mutilation.
- Confronting pandemic-related violence against women.
The efforts implemented by the UN Women ECO to eliminate violence against women have been and are generously funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the Government of Spain.
Campaigns and/or multimedia produced under these programmes include:
- Zap Tharwat Ft. Menna Hussein- Meen El Sabab
- Speak Up
- Women's hosting and guidance shelters
- Speak up Campaign to end violence against women and girls {Domestic Violence}
- Speak up Campaign to end violence against women and girls {Sexual Harassment}