This report monitors incidents of violence against women published in some newspapers during the first half of 2009 and it is report No. (69) of the economic and social rights series. The report aims to identify violence against women through the monitoring and analysis of some of the content of news published in newspapers in Egypt. It was found that among other violations and incidents of violence against women have been achieving allocation (232) crimes of violence, resulting in the death (172) women, and the number of kidnappings and sexual assaults on women, both within the family or the community (36) incident, and the form of domestic violence against women (4) accidents, were monitored (46) because of an incident of marital differences, and led to the killing and death (40) of them a woman, came and neglect in health care for women to represent (22) the situation and led to the deaths and the deaths (15) woman who have been victims of neglect, the form of suicide women (19) The case of road accidents and other incidents that do not fall within the diverse under any classification of the previous classifications (26) incident, which led to the killing and death (25) a woman, while women constituted premeditated murder (67) murder. There have been some cases of official violence against the rights of women and report documents (5) of them, as was observed (7) cases of violence aimed at women working led to the death (6) of them.
On the other hand the incidents of violence against women during the second half of 2008 amounted to (254) incidents leading to the death of (145) women and demonstrates the increasing violence against women during the period covered by the report from the previous period.
On the First Section, this report reviews the images of sexual assaults on women, which were represented in (36) cases of assaults from both within the family or society. (3) cases of sexual abuse of women have been detected within the family.
The report also reviews in the Second Section, domestic violence against women, which was (4) cases. There was a variety of reasons for domestic violence between the uncertainty in the behavior or physical differences, or misleading, in the minds of others.
The third section of the report covers the incidents of violence resulting from marital disputes, which amounted to (46) crimes of violence by the husband resulting to the killing of (34) women, along with injury of (18) women. The motives of most of the differences were due to physical differences (because of money and home) or family relationships between couples and other family members, or because of the uncertainty in the behavior or to reject the demands of its insistence on the husband or the husband for the passage of a financial crisis or the result of a psychological crisis of the husband or husband to deal drugs out of awareness or lost or reprisals for refusing to return to the free, or to prevent her from marrying another, or because of jealousy or reproductive or not to marry another, and others due to unknown reasons.
The forth section of the report examines the murder of women, which reached (67) murder cases, both within the family, which amounted to (33) crimes, and for a variety of reasons like suspicious behavior or misconduct, theft or fear of exposing the relationship are prohibited or physical differences, family or out of revenge or for refusing to lend money, or the victim for refusing to marry or a person associated with mental illness or injury. The second axis has reviewed the murders of women in society has been monitoring (34) murder cases of women, has a variety of reasons, including theft, murder or fear of exposing the relationship are prohibited or physical differences, or out of revenge or the result coincides with the presence of the victim during a fight or disagreement and others due to unknown reasons.
The fifth section of the report reviews the incidents of suicide of women that reached (19) incidents, (14) of them succeeded, while there ware (5) women who attempted suicide and failed. The varied reasons for violence that guide women to commit suicide was the complete rejection of her marriage, or engaged, or for refusing to return to the husband and the matrimonial home or for failure in school or not to marry or because of disagreements with the family or with a spouse or suffering from mental illness and some of them due to unknown reasons.
The sixth section of the report highlights the negligence in health care in governmental, private and investment hospitals on the part of doctors and hospital officials, staff and nurses that reached (22) incidents in the neglect of health care for women, which led to the death of (14) woman because of medical negligence and error to give drugs, or due to disruption of services used to diagnose conditions or to leave the equipment and medical supplies within the body of the patient or due to the absence of doctors in hospitals or because of the negligence of doctors, as well as the injury of (8) women, some of the women's injuries led to permanent disability for the patient.
The seventh section of the report reviews violence because women's employment that has monitored (7) incidents of violence against domestic workers (maids) and agricultural workers, which have resulted in suicide, death and injury because of torture.
The eighth section of the report monitors official violence against women, which reached (5) cases by the police officers or guards or governmental officials. The violence has resulted into (4) cases of bodily injury or permanent disability, and one case of detention of one of the women.
The ninth section of the report reviews road accidents and various other attacks on women, which reached (26) cases that led to the death of (25) women.
In the end, the report reviews some of the recommendations including:
• The legislation should be amended to conform with international law and general principles of non-discrimination against women.
• Must criminalize all forms of violence against women, whether formal or community in the Penal Code.
• Must review and amend the curricula of education and information to exclude all types of violence, and advancing the values of equality and non-discrimination against women in partnership with the parties and associations and trade unions.
• Must support the economic, civil and social rights for poor women workers in the informal sector to provide jobs and decent housing for human beings and social insurance and pension and health insurance, up to fit with the high price of living and to provide decent health units in the countryside to ensure the right of women to health care.
• Journalists must be urged to pay attention to issues and problems of women so as to have sufficient awareness of the Egyptian women's issues, and the formation of positive attitudes towards violence against women.
Finally, the Center calls all civil society institutions to work together to stop violence against women.
You can obtain a copy of the report from the Center or on our website