Introduction

            Among the two genders of the human society, women have always been categorized to be the weaker gender. They have been looked down to be inferior when compared with their male counterpart (Alesina, Brioschi and Ferrara 2016). This exist due to the fact that since the inception of the human civilization, it has always been the male gender who had carried out work in the public sphere while the women were concerned with managing the household. This distinction was not rigid in the ancient times (Browne 2016). Even in the under developed parts of the world like that of India and the Roman civilization, mention of several women can be found who contributed significantly to the growth of the human civilization. They took part in politics and made important decisions regarding the course of the state action. However, with the emergence of the Middle Ages, this situation changed to a great extent and the female gender war relegated to the background (Ellsberg et al. 2015). This was mainly due to the increasing attention which was paid to the religious scriptures. The importance of the religious scriptures and their teachings had preponderant impact on the position of the women in the society and this is common all across the globe (Heise 2018). This policy brief seeks to explain the position of women, especially pertaining to the region of Egypt. The brief further looks in to the various aspects of violence that exists against the women of Egypt and seeks to provide certain recommendation to eliminate such evils. The brief also looks in to the existing policies of Egypt which seeks to provide protection to its women. The policy brief concludes with the importance of the position of women for the very survival of the human race and urges mankind to ensure that the female gender is given their due recognition and respect.

Scope of the Problem

            Violence against women is considered to be one of the most concerning issues of the contemporary society. With the end of the two World Wars, the United Nations Organizations was established in 1945 with the hopes of providing adequate freedom to the people so that they may enjoy a decent standard of living (García-Moreno et al. 2015). The institution sought to provide certain restrictions on the actions of the states which had the probability of infringing the rights and the freedom of the individual. However, the violence against women is not a state activity but rather is an evil which is carried out by the male counterpart. The males of the society seek to assert its dominance over the women folk due to the fact that they simply can (Flood 2019). Furthermore, it has been observed that such activities of the male gender is hardly condemned by the state government or other agencies of the government, as they are of the opinion that this is a private affair and hence, outside the scope of state activity.

            Within the context of the region of Egypt, the violence against women has emerged to be an important legal and social problem which demands the intervention of the state authorities (Michau et al. 2015). The problem has been in existence since times immemorial but has never been addressed in an effective manner. In the recent times, the upsurge in the women’s activist movement and the platform of media, has brought the significance of this issue in front of the common people. However, an important problem that faces the state is the fact that there is hardly ever any reports of sexual violence against women in Egypt. This is because of the social stigma that is attached with the issue of molestation as people often raise doubts about the character of women rather than condemning the heinous activity of the male criminal (Guedes et al. 2016) In was in 2013 that a report released by the United Nations, known as the Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt which showed to the world the unprecedented growth in the issue of sexual violence against women within the region of Egypt (Alesina, Brioschi and Ferrara 2016). In a survey conducted, around 99.3% of the women candidates of Egypt, who participated in the research study, reported that they had been sexually assaulted at least once in their life time. Moreover, on the issue of genital mutilation, it was found out that nine out of every ten women, who belonged to the age group of fifteen to forty nine, were forced to undergo genital mutilation which is considered to be a crime in Egypt (Krook 2018). So many cases came to the fore front that an immediate need was felt to formalize policies and regulations in a strict manner which would uphold the dignity and integrity of the female gender.

Existing Policies within Egypt for the protection of women

            In order to protect the women and their dignity, the government of women institutionalized two main documents, such as that of the Criminal Code of 1987 and the Constitution of Egypt which was formalized in the year 2014 (Oram, Khalifeh and Howard 2017). In order to deal effectively with the crimes committed against women, the government of Egypt divided the crimes in to two categories. One category of crime relates to the forms of sexual harassment and instances of catcalling which are categorized under the group of ‘misdemeanors’. They are considered to less severe or significant than the crimes which belong to the category of ‘felony’. Felonies include the instances of female genital mutilation, rape and molestation, kidnapping and forms of sexual assault (Tadros 2015). In the event of the occurrences of such heinous crime under the category of ‘felony’, the convicts have to serve a considerable amount of jail time and their records of the crime are made permanent by the state authorities.

            Another important mechanism instituted within the region of Egypt to protect the dignity of women is that of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation in Ruling No. 289 of April 24, 1950 (Elghossain et al. 2019). Under this mechanism, the women who have been subjected to sexual violence are not required to prove that the criminal had intercourse with the victim against the will of the female. In such cases, a case can be registered if the offender touches the victim with bare hands or any sexual parts of the body or even with a device (Alesina, Brioschi and Ferrara 2016).

Policy Recommendation

            The purpose of this policy brief is to provide recommendations and sources of alternative policies in order to improve the situation of the women largely, but mainly within the context of Egypt. The first requirement is that of stopping the frequent occurrences of genital mutilation. Often times it is observed that the women are made to undergo this painful and heinous activity on the wishes of the family members (Oram, Khalifeh and Howard 2017). This has stemmed from the religious beliefs of the people. The old generation of people adhere to the religious scriptures in a strict manner due to which they often inflict certain harm on their children. One such adverse impact is that of genital mutilation. As a result, there is a need to prevent people from adhering to the religious scriptures in a manner that has the potential to inflict harm on another individual.

            A second recommendation that can be provided is that to eliminate the two different categories of crimes against women and inscribing different forms of punishment to the perpetrators. Any crime against women should be dealt with in a strict manner (Alesina, Brioschi and Ferrara 2016). The instance of sexual harassment and catcalling are also demeaning to the self-respect and dignity of the women and hence, should be punished severely. These instances of violation of the dignity of women should also be punished in the form of jail time and permanent record of the convict. This would act as a deterrent against the offenders who would be scared of engaging in any activity that might result in their life being made difficult by the state authorities.

Conclusion

            In conclusion it can be observed that the issue of violence against the dignity of women is a serious issue which is affecting nearly all the women of the world, irrespective of their age and place of origin. One of the unique characteristic of this issue is that it is the male counterparts themselves who are violating the dignity of the women. It therefore depends upon the state authorities to ensure that the women are treated with respect. Any instances of violation of their dignity and self-respect should be treated in a severe manner whereby the offender is punished and jailed for the wrongdoing. Moreover, the state authorities should try to ensure that the rights of the individuals are granted to them in such a manner that they are not infringed upon by any individual of the state or any agent of the state. This would aid in protecting the dignity and integrity of the female gender not only in Egypt but all across the world.

References:

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Oram, S., Khalifeh, H. and Howard, L.M., 2017. Violence against women and mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(2), pp.159-170.

Tadros, M., 2015. Contentious and prefigurative politics: Vigilante groups’ struggle against sexual violence in Egypt (2011–2013). Development and Change, 46(6), pp.1345-1368.