WUNRN
EGYPT
- WOMEN'S PROGRESS BUT CONTINUED CHALLENGES FOR EQUALITY & JUSTICE
Randa El Tahawy / 6 July 2012
Facing the Challenge - Bothaina
Kamel continued to work to develop the "political conscience of the
Egyptian people" and has demonstrated to other Egyptian women that they,
too, should be able to participate in politics. - AFPFACING
ONE OF the iconic images of
Some
Egyptians argue that democracy needs to come first, before worrying about
women’s rights. Overcoming women’s marginalisation first, though, is actually
essential to creating a truly democratic
All
too often, women have been treated as second class citizens and subject to
injustice — they face harassment on the street, have been victims of virginity
tests by the military, and are shut out of many opportunities to be involved in
politics. For instance, women’s rights activists are not being consulted in the
constitution drafting process. Even though women can legally hold positions as
judges or high-ranking political offices, social pressure often means women are
unable to attain them.
However,
women’s rights activists have not been silent in the face of hurdles like
these. Take Bothaina Kamel, who exercised her right to run for president, and
was
When
it comes to civil society, many existing feminist organisations have grown in
membership, and new feminist organisations have been founded. For instance, the
Feminist Union, originally founded in 1923 by activist Hoda Shaarawy, was
re-launched in October 2011, bringing together more than 1,000 organisations
under its umbrella to focus on supporting women running in the parliamentary
elections as well as encouraging women to vote.
Alongside
these examples of female activists are also stories of men supporting women.
Many liberal members of parliament, such as Amr Hamzawy, have spoken about the
importance of making women’s issues a priority. Men’s support has extended to
the grassroots level, too. Over the past year, men have participated in and
protected women from harassment during marches organised by women. In addition,
projects like Harassmap, which documents and advocates against harassment on
the street, and other organisations like it, have male volunteers.
The
only way to truly achieve women’s rights over the long-term is to include women
in all decision-making processes — including revising the constitution.
Moreover,
women’s rights activists must engage the state —and participate in both the
political opposition and in Mohamed Mursi’s new government. One step the state
could take to promote women’s rights would be to sponsor projects by various
women’s organisations, and include women from these groups in the new cabinet
currently in formation. In the French government, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem serves
as the Minister for Women’s Rights — a position that may be worth replicating
in
It
is also important to remember that the Muslim Brotherhood includes many female
members. In fact, many of the women in the Muslim Brotherhood occupy leading
roles in their party and organisation, such as Hoda Abdel Moneim, a lawyer and
Chairwoman of the Women’s Affairs Committee of the Freedom and Justice Party.
Many women in the Muslim Brotherhood also manage social programmes. From my own
conversations with women from the Muslim Brotherhood, it is evident that they
possess a genuine desire to be in leading positions and actively work to
improve the condition of Egyptian women.
Women’s
rights activists from all backgrounds need to maintain a united front and
actively participate in