ASMAA FATIHÎ

Cairo-Many women from all over the world are subjected to violence, harassment, rape, and oppression every day. But most of them cannot tell anyone about what they experienced due to social pressure or they remain silent to “protect their family”. Many women remain silent when they are subjected to violence, harassment, and rape because they are embarrassed for others to know what they experienced. Moreover, many women don’t know the existence and works of women’s organizations struggling for them. We spoke to Eman Mohamed, a sociologist and a member of the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance Foundation (CEWLA), about how they support Egyptian women.

CEWLA provides support to women

Stating that their counseling psychologists help the victims when they apply to CEWLA, Eman Mohamed says the victims need legal and psychological support, “Victims should be protected during the legal process. They have many rights during this process and we should make them know about their rights.”

The number of women, who apply to the CEWLA, increases during the Covid-19 pandemic

Eman Mohamed tells us that women don’t understand what they are subjected to when they experience harassment, rape, and violence. Pointing to the supports provided by the CEWLA, Eman Mohamed says, “We keep all information of the victims confidential. Every day, 18 or 20 women apply to our foundation due to violence, harassment, and rape they experienced. The number of women applying to us has been increasing particularly since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. We provide legal and psychological support to women and give them information about their rights.”