ÎNAS KEMAL

Cairo – Although time changes, violence against women doesn’t change. As in many countries, women in Egypt are subjected to violence by men closest to them. 5.6 million Egyptian women are annually subjected to domestic violence, according to the report of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights. The report reveals that 2.4 million Egyptian women were injured due to violence against them. “Every year, millions of women have to leave their homes due to domestic violence. About 200 pregnant women are annually subjected to violence by their husbands. 25,000 women report the violence against them to police,” read the report.

“76 women were killed”

Several days ago, a woman was burned to death by her brother due to an inheritance dispute. The Edraak Foundation for Development and Equality reported that the crime of sexual violence against women and girls increased to 191 in the second quarter of 2021. “76 women and girls were killed. 54 out of them were killed by their family members. 15 women were killed by unknown men. 18 women were attempted to be killed,” the foundation said. According to the report of the “بنت النيل (Bint el-Nil)” Foundation, the rate of killed women and girls reached 64 percent in the first six months of this year. A video spread on social media platforms last July. The video shows how a man publicly stabbed his wife and killed her. The video sparked anger in the country.

“They cannot tolerate conscious women”

Professor and Sociologist Hoda Zakaria commented on the high rate of femicides in the country. “We don’t have an official source to confirm this increase but the reports of press outlets confirm this rate. Men were considered as strong and dominant in society. In this way, violence against women was legitimated. When a man battered his sister or wife, it was considered normal by society. But this changed; women don’t accept violence against them now. Men increase violence against women because they cannot tolerate conscious women,” she told NuJINHA.

“Families shape gender-based roles”

“Our society can change when our families change,” said Asma Dabis, the director of the Bint el-Nil Foundation. “Families shape gender-based roles. Girls are told they have to listen to their brothers. Men growing up in such an atmosphere think they have the right to make decisions on behalf of women.  They think they have the right to deprive their sisters of inheritance,” she said, adding, “Men use violence against women in the name of “honor” due to the lack of a sharp and strict legal system protecting women. Article 60 of the Egyptian Penal Code paves the way for the implementation of sharia law and it legitimates violence against women.”