The LCHR’s report monitors incidents of violence against women which were published in Egyptian newspapers during the first half of 2008. This report is issue No. (61) of the LCHR’S economic and social rights series. It aims to identify violence against women through monitoring and analyzing the content of Egyptian newspapers published in the period from the first of January until the end of June 2008.
The first part of the report reviews the forms of sexual assault on women, both within the family and society. Sexual assault within the family was represented in the father raping his daughter in law. The motive behind the commission of these crimes was sexual assault on women, whether by rape, sexual assault, or attempting them. These violent incidents resulted in sexual assault which was accompanied with theft and revenge. The majority of abused women were housewives.
The second part of the report reviews domestic violence against women. There was a variety of reasons for domestic violence including suspicious behavior, family and material disputes, or revenge. The majority of crimes committed against women were made by the father, son, or brother who were motivated by revenge.
The third part of the report deals with violent incidents caused by family disputes, due to material and family disputes between married couples, suspicious behavior, the husband not taking his responsibility, or the wife refusing to have children, and some of them were caused by some unknown reasons. These violent incidents have resulted in killing, abortion, injury, arson, and attempted murder, and some of which have led to imprisonment. The majority of abused women were housewives.
The forth part of the report addresses the murders of women, both within family and society. The first axis reviews the murders of women within the family, which were committed for a variety of reasons like suspicious behavior, theft, fear of exposing a sexual relation, material and family disputes, revenge, adultery, or coming home late. The majority of perpetrators of violence were the son, brother and father.
The second axis of this part reviews the murders of women within society, which have a variety of reasons including fear of theft, suspicious behavior, fear of exposing a sexual relation, material and family disputes, or happening upon a fight.
The fifth part of the report deals with suicide accidents of women. These suicides happened due to a variety of reasons including depression, suffering from a mental disease, marital or family disputes, an increase of financial burden, separation from a fiancé, a forced return to the husband, sorrow for the death of a family member, or sorrow for the failure of sons. Some of these suicides were due to unknown reasons. These violent incidents have resulted in death by poisoning or burning. The majority of victims who committed suicide were housewives.
The sixth part of the report reviews health care negligence. There were a variety of reasons behind such negligence including medical neglect of a sick woman during or after surgery, lack of resources within government hospitals, increased doses, or the non-payment of treatment costs. These violent incidents have resulted in death, permanent disability, or permanent coma. The majority of the victims of medical negligence were housewives.
The seventh part of the report reviews incidents of violence against working women which were committed by women servants against housewives with the aim of theft.
Noteworthy, we did not find in the monitored newspapers any incidents of violence against working women, particularly domestic women servants, which is the kind of violence that we used to monitor against working women.
The eighth part of the report reviews incidents of official violence against women, which were committed for a variety of reasons including some police officers assaulting some ladies through torture or detention, freedom of opinion and expression, arresting women for a sentence of imprisonment, or committing a theft. A group of women made a protest and demonstration in order to prevent the establishment of a factory and another one due to lack of bread. These violent incidents have resulted in sexual assault, physical and psychological injury, beatings, theft, and permanent disability, in addition to insult, humiliation, detention and infringement on freedom of opinion and expression.
The ninth part of the report deals with miscellaneous incidents against women like road accidents and other incidents. These incidents included suffocation by gas, explosions of gas cylinders, falling from balconies, electrocution, or dieing under a collapsed house …etc.
The tenth part of the report contains some final conclusions and recommendations. This part of the report shows that more than half the cases of assaults on women have led to their death and an increase in the number of women victims who do not work (uneducated housewives). The majority of the perpetrators of violence against women were poor and working in marginal occupations or unemployed or drivers. We also noted that the media have dealt in a negative way with the issues and news of violence against women and were male biased.
The report recommended the need to educate society on the need to eliminate domestic violence, equality among men and women, increasing sanctions of sexual crimes, addressing the impacts of market and trade liberalization polices, especially for families with limited income, providing jobs and secure housing, improving the quality of life in rural areas and slums, and working on the issuance of a law to protect women from Domestic violence and support women's rights "half of society and all of the present," as a route for our beloved Egypt to advancement and progress.
The full report will be published on our website as soon as we finish the translation.