29

Women, Land and Violence in the Egyptian countryside “Saft El Arfa … a village searching for light"

This report is issue no. (29) of the Land and Farmer series, it is trying to know the reasons and size of violence against women especially in the Egyptian countryside violence related to agrarian lands. The report shows that women participate basically in all of the life activities, starting with being a house wife and helps her husband in farming either by taking care of the animals or by working in the land. Despite all of this, the society still discriminates women, this discrimination is practiced daily by the governments’ official institutions in the daily practices, or by broadcasting daily materials through the media that confirm that men are better than women and have the right to practice violence against them, in addition to the discrimination that women face based on gender among the family, in the streets or at work, not considering their role in the development and progress of the society. Therefore this report comes to know and recognize the reasons and size of violence against women especially in the countryside, and it is divided into several chapters shown as follows:
The First Chapter: explains the concept of violence that the report is dealing with and clarified by the general association of the United Nations in its’ international announcement for the eradication of violence against women, and it is: “Any violent work or doing based on sex or gender that result or could result to physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, in addition to cultural and social ignorance or neglect of women nationally and internationally, are all considered forbidden violations on human beings, therefore these forms must be eliminated”. This section discusses the aspects of violence and discrimination against women and the increase of this phenomenon in the society as a whole, as the deterioration of the economic, social and cultural conditions lead to more violence, harm and violations of the rights of a lot of groups in the society especially the poor and needy, but there is a double harm happening on women especially the poor and working in the countryside.
The Secon Chapter: deals with the forms and types of official violence against women, and include the forms of the legislative violence, like: discrimination in the nationality law or in the punishments law, and it shows some of the legislations that miss the spirit of justice which separate between men and women and violate the constitution that states the necessity of no discrimination between men and women. Then it goes to the types of violence against women by some of the states’ foundations, how the police deal with women and how the media spread discrimination against women through the daily broadcasted programs that work on deepening the existing thoughts based on the separation between men and women.
The Third Capter: deals with the forms and types of the unofficial violence against women, it shows the role of the common customs, traditions and culture in the society that lead to the increase of violence against women, and it discusses the household violence dealing with phenomenons like: circumcision a widespread phenomenon in the Egyptian society that harm girls physically and mentally, and shows the effects and problems of the early marriage that is spread in the poor and rural societies, and it clarifies how the bad economic conditions play a role in the growth of this phenomenon, then it goes to some of the forms and types of violence and harm against women as a result of the deteriorated cultural conditions, like what happens in the honor crimes. This section also shows violence against women in the deferent working places, especially women working in the private, marginal and agrarian sectors.
The Fourth Chapter: a field study of one of the villages of northern Upper Egypt in Beny Swief province – Beba Station “Saft El Arfa … a village searching for light” it reveals to us the reasons and size of violence and harm against women in the Egyptian countryside, and it shows how customs and traditions in the rural society work on increasing the forms and types of violence and lead to the mistreatment of women and discrimination against their right for the benefit of men especially in fees, the type of work and the distribution of land, and it shows the discrimination against women in the farming process that lead most of the times to the violation of their rights although they are basic partners in farming, in addition they do all of the household works as they are considered the only one responsible of the house and bringing up and caring for children.
The Fifth Chapter: brings some final notes, like: - Violence agains the Egyptian women goes back to economic, social and cultural reasons, and that the economic elements have the highest percentage between the other elements in increasing the violence phenomenon, and the report confirms that the highest percentage of these criminals and victims are illiterate. - Most of the reasons of the violence crimes go back to financial reasons, family and marriage disagreements, honor crimes and using drugs. Women suffer from a clear discrimination at work as a result of the common customs, traditions and culture although that most of the legislations and laws state the equality between men and women.
The report ends with a number of recommendation: - The necessity of training women and providing her with nontraditional projects with simple trust methods so that they could increase their income and improve their conditions. - The necessity of preparing media campaigns and awareness programs for men and women to increase their awareness in the legal rights and being equal with men in her rights in work and suitable and decent life without discrimination. - The necessity of guaranteeing the deferent rights of women, starting with developing their abilities to all of the social, cultural, political, health and educational rights… etc. - The necessity of activating the texts of the laws that guarantee women their rights in receiving alternative lands. - The necessity of guaranteeing health services for women especially in the poor, rural and random areas. - The social insurances should include all women either working or not working and also children, and eliminate the hard and difficult procedures while applying these laws. The Center requests the members of the peoples’ council, the state consultative council (Shora council), all of the officials and all of the civil society foundations to work on applying these recommendations and make the procedures that guarantee the right in a suitable and decent life and stop violence and harm against women for a better tomorrow for all of the citizens.

Back to List