This report monitors incidents of violence against women published in some Egyptian newspapers, during the second half of 2009. It is the edition no. (74) of the center Publications, which issued in the series of economic and social right. The report aims to identify violence against women, based upon monitoring and analyzing of the content of the Egyptian press. It was clear that the total accidents of violations and violence against women have reached (256) crime of violence, resulting with the killing of (129) woman as a result of violence, and the number of kidnappings and sexual assaults on women within the family or community have reached (33) accidents, led to the death of (7) Women, where the domestic violence directed to women has formed (10) accidents. In addition, (44) incidents involving marital disputes were monitored, where they led to the killing and death of (29) woman. Then negligence in health care for women rouse, to represent (21) status, and has led to the killing and death of (11) Lady who had suffered neglect. The cases of women's suicide have formed (22) cases, where (17) of them have been able to die. Moreover, road accidents and various other accidents that do not fall under any classification of the previous classifications have reached (45) incident, led to killing and death of (14) Ladies. Meanwhile, the murders of intention killing of women have reached (50) murder. There were some cases of state violence against the rights of women, where report records (16) of them. Also, a case of violence directed against working women was monitored, which led to her suicide.
By analyzing the numbers, it is shows for us that the series of killings women, exposed to violence, is still going; among 256 cases subjected to violence, 129 cases have been killed and died, during the first half of 2009, while (232) crimes of violence against women have been committed, and led to the killing and death of (172) cases or more, where half of the assaulted women were killed in the first half, and half of them were killed in the second half.
The total accidents of violence against women in 2009 have reached (488) accident, led to the death (301) woman.
The report, on its first section, reviews the figures of sexual assaults against women, which represented in (33) cases of assault; whether from the family or the community. (3) accidents of sexual assaults against women, within the family, have been monitored, where one of them was an attempt by a student to rape his step mother, leading to her death at the end, and the others were cases of a father forced his daughter for sexual intercourse, resulting with her pregnancy, while the other parent has violated his three daughters. The three incidents have occurred during the months of August, October and November.
Also, (30) crimes of sexual assault from members of the society against women have been detected, where the motive behind the commission of such crimes was the sexual abuse against women, either by rape, sexual violations, initiation of any of them, sexual harassment or revenge.
These accidents of sexual violence have led to many consequences, like; sexual assault, associated with robbery, or kidnapping; and sexual assault, associated with murder in some cases. The actual accidents sexual assault have reached (18) accident, associated with robbery in (4) accidents, whilst there were (4) incidents of sexual violations, and (3) accidents of an attempt to attack after the abduction and recruitment, while there were (5) murders against women after the abduction and sexual assault against them, led to the death of (6) women.
The mount of cases of kidnapping and gang rape has been noticed, crystallized in (22) crimes of gang rape of group of persons; (2-6 males), who kidnap a girl, sexually assault her, and lock her in one of the houses for a long periods; more than two days, where they sexual rape her, in turn, then they throw her on the street.
It is noticed, also, that taxi drivers, and drivers of tuktuks kidnap girls, then rape them, alone or with others.
The women's sector that was sexually assaulted the most was the sector of housewives, as there were (19) cases of women who suffered assault, while there were (5) girls students, two belly dancers, an employee, an interviewer, a social worker, a journalist, and a lawyer who suffered sexual assault. In addition, by monitoring, it was found that the number of sexually assaulted women was (31), while the number of males, who committed violence, was (96) male, including (3) women who helped in kidnap and assault against other women.
The report also illustrates, in its second section, the violence by family against women, which have reached (10) cases, where the domestic violence, in those accidents, led to the crimes of attempted murder against mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, wives of maternal uncle, and mothers in law, resulting with the injury of (11) ladies.
The reasons of domestic violence were varied, as there were many reasons, like the doubts of behavior, financial or family controversies, or the revenge, either because marriage without the family knowledge, because of money, or because of suffering from psychological disturbance.
Most of the crimes committed against women were because of financial disputes, or doubt in behavior from the father, brother, son, step son, grandson, or the victim lady's relatives.
The number of assaulted women was (11) ladies, (10) of them were housewives and female students, while the number of male-perpetrator of violence was (12) males. In those cases, the relationship of the perpetrator of the violence to the assaulted ladies were as the following; the perpetrator was the son in (3) cases, and was the father, the brother, the son in law in two cases, while being the grandson, the cousin from the uncle, or the aunt in one accident only.
The report, in its third section, illustrates the accidents of violence resulting from family disputes, which have reached (44) crimes, where violence by the husband led to the kill of (26) wives, in addition to (2) murders against the daughter, and one against the mother in law, thus, the total number of women, killed as a result of family disputes, reaches (29) Ladies. Most of the motives of the differences were financial disputes (because of household expenses); domestic differences between spouses; the doubts in behavior; the husband defames his wife or his divorcee, whether as a sort of revenge, or in order to steal her, or as a retaliation for refusing to return to the divorcee; because the husband sees his wife in an unchastely situation with other man; or because of an unknown reasons.
The violence had many results, where most of them was killing, injuries, arsons and attempts to murder, whole some of the crimes led to the imprisonment. Crimes of murders against wives have reached (26) crimes, along with two crimes of murder against the daughter, and a murder against the mother in law. On the same level, assaults leading to physical injuries have reached (12) accidents, while there were (4 ) accidents of defamation of the wife or the divorcee, while there was one accident of the kidnapping of the wife and stealing the money of the wife.
The number of assaulted women has reached (49) ladies. Meanwhile the number of males perpetrators of violence has reached (50) males and females. The most abused women were housewives, (38) assaulted females, where the others were two female employees, two girls students, two teachers, two female workers, a university professor, a doctor, a sales representative and a nurse. The relationships of the perpetrators of the violence to the assaulted ladies were the husband, the divorcee, or other persons, instigated by the husband.
From monitoring, it was noticed that there were (3) crimes of former husbands who killed their ex-wives, as the wives refused reside to the husband's guardianship, and to settle on the marital home. In addition, there were two crimes of bash, by the divorcee against his ex-wife, led to a permanent disability, and (3) crimes of defamation by the ex-husband against his divorcee. These crimes reflect that the husband (the divorcer) continues to regard his divorcee as private property; he can do whatever he wants to her, and if she doesn't not agree to go back to the life of violence, bash, and abuse, he punishes her by killing; or torturing, because she rejected to surrender to such a life; or by defaming her!!!.
Also, methods of killing have varied; there is the method of slaughtering with knife, murder by throwing caustic chemicals or boiling water, murder by pouring kerosene and setting fire, severe beatings leading to death, throwing from the balcony, smashing the head with a sharp tool, or the strangulation.
Then, the report, in its fourth section, illustrated the crime of intentional killing of women, which have reached (50) crimes, whether inside the family, or the society. The first axis stated crimes of intentional killing of women within the family, which have reached (18) crime, where those crimes have been committed because of various reasons, like doubts in behavior; delinquency; theft; family disputes; revenge, because of wife's non-return to the house of the husband, degrading because of the disease, refusal to see the son, kidnapping the fiancé, or absent from home; illegal pregnancy; injury with a psychological illness; crime of killing by a deviated bullet; crime in order to steal money; or for refusing to lend money.
The total number of abused women has (20), where (18) of them were killed, while two were wounded. In addition, the number of males, who are perpetrators of violence, has reached (16) males and (5) females. Housewives were the most abused, where their number was (19) women and students.
It is noticed, in the monitoring of crimes, that the most perpetrators of violence are sons to their mothers, in (6) crimes, accompanied by a violence against wife and sister in one crime; (3) crimes by the brother against his sister; two crimes of the father against his daughter, by the help of the son- the brother of the victim- in one case. There were, also, two crimes committed by the grandson (where he was also the son and daughter's husband, at the same time, in one of the crimes). In addition, there was one crime against the mother, the nephew, the divorcee of the son, the cousin, and the sister.
The second axis has reviewed the murders against women by the society, where (32) murders against women were monitored. Reasons of these murders have varied; theft, financial disputes, problems with neighbors, a doubt of the existence of a relationship between the neighbor and the spouse, revenge (because of wife's shouting at the husband, wearing the veil, bargain during purchase, accusation with theft, the threat to disseminate the relationship, expelling from work, or because of an affair), or as a result of the coincides of the presence of the victim in the place of the fight, or a dispute, while other crimes are due to some mysterious reasons.
The total number of abused women was (32), who were all killed. While the number of male perpetrators of violence (39) males, and (6) females. Housewives were the most assaulted, with (27) case, a pharmacist, a woman employee, businesswoman, money lender woman, and dancer.
Then, the report, in Fifth section, demonstrated accidents of women's suicide, which have reached (22) accident, where (17) women have succeeded to die, while there were (5) cases of women attempted to suicide but failed. The reasons that led women to commit violence against themselves have varied, where the most important reasons were suffering from mental illness, loneliness, marital or family disputes, family, financial distress, break-up of her engagement, her family's rejection to go out of the house, her refusal to return to her husband's home, objection to the marriage by force, or maltreatment of a spouse. There is a case of suicide committed because of unknown reasons.
The violence has led to many results, where the most important results were the death, injury with fractures, wounds, poisoning, or burning, thus cases of death had reached (17) case, while accidents of injury were (5) cases.
The more groups of women who committed violent against themselves were the housewives, reaching (17) cases, (3) students, coiffure, and a nurse.
It is worth mentioning here that the rate of women who attempted to commit suicide, and get rid of their lives, has increased. They tried to kill themselves by many ways to escape from the family disputes, and maltreatment of the husband and the family.
Then, the report in its Sixth Section, has illustrated the cases of negligence in health care, in governmental hospitals, private hospitals, and investment ones, which were committed by doctors, hospital officials, and workers like nurses and others. Cases of negligence have reached (21) case of health care neglect against women, led to the death of (11) woman due to medical negligence or error in the described drugs, or because of the absence of doctors in hospitals and the negligence of doctors.
Negligence accidents have led to many results, including death, injury with permanent disability, and other multi injuries in the body, where other cases has led to the violation of the sanctity of private life for women, in private clinics, and during the medical check without their knowledge. Those accidents of negligence has led to the death of (11) lady, and hurt of ( 8) other women with seriously injuries, where some of them left marks on the body of the victim, while there was an unknown number of women who had suffered violation of private life.
Housewives were the most assaulted, nearly (19) housewife, two school teachers, an artist, and a student. And it was found that the number of male perpetrators of violence was, nearly, (33) and two women.
Then, the report, in its seventh section, has illustrated the issue of the employment of women, where one accidents of violence against domestic workers (maids) - with Nepali citizenship – has been monitored, led to the suicide of the maid, as she was intimidated from being delivered to the Embassy by the employer, so she committed a suicide, and was immediately killed.
Then, the report, in its eighth Section, has illustrated the cases of official violence against women, which have reached (16) case, committed by police officers, police secretary, police inspector, officials in government quarters, or persons with strong influence in the state.
The violence led to many results, like physical or psychological injury, detention, lashing, deporting, persecution, sexual harassment, deprivation from education, or deprivation from employment.
It was found that the most abused groups of women were housewives, with (7) cases, group of female employees, students, journalists, and servants, in addition to a school teacher, accountants, a lawyer, a director of a housing department, and a director of a school.
In the report, we could not monitor the number of females who have been abused, as they were many, also we couldn't monitor the number of perpetrators of violence, whether males and females.
Then, the report, in Ninth section, states the crimes of intentional kidnapping of women, reaching (14) crime of abduction, where the reasons of these crimes were various, like the propagation of rumors about the relationship between the victim with men from other religions, the woman had ran away with a young man, revenge (engagement break up), or to compel for the marriage, where most of the crimes were due to unknown reasons.
The total number of assaulted women was (18) ladies. Meanwhile the number of male perpetrators of violence was (18) males, nearly. Housewives were the most abused, by (15) cases, then two students, and a worker.
Then, the report, in its tenth section, illustrates the cases of road accidents and various other attacks upon women, which have reached (45) accident led to the death of (14) women. Motivations of the crime were revenge, differences between a group of persons, theft, financial differences, neighbors disputes, families disputes, woman's imbalance, gas leakage, explosion, craziness in speed, carelessness while crossing the bar of a railway, the collapse of real estate, escape from some persons, reckless gun bullets, negligence of some people or officials, inability to swim, wearing a veil, fainting, or electrical shock. There are some accidents are due to unknown reasons.
The violence accidents have caused some results, where the most likely was death, injury, and burn, leading to the death of (14) woman and the wound of other (46) woman, either by physical injuries, or psychological injuries because of the slander against them by others.
Housewives were the most abused, with (36), then (5) nurses, (5) students, two doctors, two coiffeurs, two maids, an employee, a tailor lady, a designer, a professor, a director of human resources, fashion designer, a worker, and a beggar. The number of male perpetrators of violence was (53) male, approximately, and (4) females.
In the end, the report reviews some of the recommendations, including:
- Modifying Egyptian legislations to conform with international conventions, on non-discrimination against women; particularly laws of imprisonment, penalties, descent claims, and eliminating the Egyptian government's reservations to the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination.
- To criminalize all forms of violence against women, whether official or societal, in the Penal Code.
- Review the curricula of education, and media, to exclude all types of violence, and uphold the values of equality and non-discrimination against women.
- Support for economic, social, and civil rights of poor women, and women in the informal sector, by providing decent job opportunities, humanitarian housing, social insurance, and health-care insurance, via increasing pensions and insurances, in order to cover the high costs of living, and to provide decent medical departments in rural areas.
- Organizing a national campaign, urging the government through the media, in partnership with citizens, associations and parties, to change the negative image of women in society.
- Urging the journalists to pay attention to issues and problems of Egyptian women, through the creation of positive attitudes towards violence against women, and to deal with the accidents in the newspapers, objectively, and without an advanced charge to the woman.
Finally, the Center asks all civil society organizations, members of the People's assembly, and local communities to work together to stop violence against women, and ensure their right to equality and safety.
You can obtain a copy of the report from the Center's headquarters, or our website