We issue this report at a time the arena of the Egyptian newspapers is full of news, here and there, about the statements of Minister of Family and Population, and her site visits to upper Egypt that aim to change the bad habits of the Egyptian society and to solve the problem of "overpopulation". The newspapers keeps telling us about the view of the minister in resolving the problem of population increase, by convincing families to reduce the number of their children, so that each family would have only two children at most, as a step to achieve a balance between what the government is planning and habits performed by citizens (according to statements by the distinguished minister).
She also stated, during her visit to Upper Egyptian, the Egyptian child suffers from anemia and malnutrition, and those two diseases would keep disseminating among children as long as the population growth problem remains. The minister spoke as if the cause of anemia and malnutrition problems in Egypt is the increase in population, and not the poverty, unemployment, poor services, and child labor in the agricultural sector?!
It is worth mentioned that, after the finish of the International Conference on Rights of the Child, which was held and ended in Cairo, the minister has commented "We, in Egypt, still do not respect the right of children to express their view" , as if the problems of children in Egypt have receded to respecting children's opinions?!? And as if we do not have the problems of children labor, street children, dropout from education, anemia and malnutrition, in addition to the head problem; violence and murders against children.
In addition, the approaches of Ms. Minister bring attention, as she is concerned with spreading the culture of protecting child rights and encouraging savings, which is the program implemented by the ministry in 450 targeted schools and 300 thousand students, while there hundreds of children who die in Egypt as a result of negligence in the health and education services, and as a result of sexual abuse against those children, trade in their organs, and murdering them. For example, newspapers reported that paralysis and death threat 100 children, infected with "blood thinners", in Sharkeyya, due to suspension of granting the injection, by Zagazig hospital, to children, despite they were infected by "blood thinners B" with "death or paralysis," , so where is the minister and the ministry to hear these children!. Doesn't the minister lives within her ministry, inside the heart of the new capital of poverty and homelessness for children!?. Doesn't she hear about the hundreds of children who die every year because of sale, abduction and sexual abuse, including trading and neglect in their rights.
So, to the Ministry of State and population, and to all the distinguished Minister of Egypt, we dedicate the harvest of monitored violence against children, from some newspapers, as a sample that represents the problems of more than 20 million children in Egyptian.
This report, no. (75) of the center releases, which is issued among a series of economic and social rights. The report aims to monitor violence against children during the second half of 2009, through the news published about children, by some Egyptian newspapers. Report depended on the technique of content analysis of news published by newspapers to identify crimes of violence against children, and the problems that they suffer, in addition to the approximate knowledge of the amount of violence they are exposed to, the type of the perpetrators, their relationship to children, and their profession.
The total cases of violence against children were (246) crimes that led to the killing and death of (150) child, with more than half of children who have been subjected to violence died!
Sexual assaults against children, outside or within the family, have reached (21) cases, where physical attacks on children have reached (6) encroachment cases. The cases of domestic violence have reached (40) cases, where the total cases of neglect in the social, health, education and nutrition care have reached (87) case, and the cases of abuse of children have reached (3) cases. In addition, the cases of sale of children have reached (4) cases, while (9) cases of formal violence against children were monitored. In addition, cases of intentional killings of children have reached (14) cases, where crimes of child abduction have reached (20) casea, incidents of child labor have reached(6) cases, and road accidents and various other accidents that did not fall under any of the previous divisions have reached (36) case.
The first section of the report illustrate the most important figures of domestic violence, which have reached (40) incidents of violence, committed by the family against the child, led to the killing of (27) children, where family violence against children has many reasons, like domestic, or marital disputes; involuntarily urinating of the child; continous crying of the child; jealousy of the child; retaliation from the child, because of a crime committed by a member of his family against others, whether the family member is the father, the mother, or relatives; disciplinary grounds; getting rid of the child, as he was born because of an illegal relationship, so there is a fear of scandal; the difficulty of expenditure; theft committed by the child; mother's, or father's, injury with mental illness; repeated absenteeism from home; father keeps the sons, after the divorce, from the mother, despite she has the custody; or suspicious behavior. In addition, some violence cases are due to unknown reasons.
Housewives were the women sector that committed the highest rate of crimes against children, where their number have reached(22) housewife, then a student, and a maid. Meanwhile, the number of males perpetrators of violence has reached (30) males; drivers, gorcers, and registered in danger, while the other groups of aggressors were street vendor, fish sellers, painter, café waiter, employer, farmers, students, jewelers, a lawyer and garage man, whilst jobs of others were not mentioned.
The total death cases, resulting from domestic violence towards children, have reached (24) cases, led to the murder of(27) child, where either father or mother were the perpetrator of (4) murders against their sons. Meanwhile, mother and father, together, were the perpetrators in two crimes; where one of them was in the company, along with grandmother and another person. Step father has committed violance against child in ( 3) crimes, where father, and stepmother has committed the crime together in two times; father, and uncle ,together, in (2) crimes; the mother, the grandmother, and the aunts, together, in one crime; and all of the brother, the step mother, and the husband of the aunt, the uncle's wife, the wife of the brother, and nephew in one crime only.
The relationships of the perpetrators of violence crimes with the assaulted children were the following; both father and mother (9) accidents; both father and uncle together two crimes; father and stepmother together two crimes; all of mother and father together, the mother and maternal uncle together, mother, grandmother, and aunts together, mother, father and grandmother together one accident; the husband of the mother (5) accidents; both the brother and stepmother one accidents; and all of the sister, the husband of aunt, uncle's wife, the wife of the brother, and nephew one accident only.
It is worth mentioning not only the increasing number of deaths of children resulting from domestic violence, as (27) children have been killed from (49) cases of children exposed to violance by their families, but also the fact that murders, resulted of violence, were committed because of trivial reasons or no sense reasons that never drive the father or mother to slaughter, strangle, or beat the child to death.. Because the child cries, or unintentionally urinate on himself, or because the parents are jealous from the child; a child was killed.....!!!! So what a society we live in. Without any sense, with a cruelty that fills the hearts of everyone, and a cover that misleaded the road ahead, the brutality and cruelity have reached the hearts of the Father and mother, leading to the realeasing the anger, poverty and violation of human dignity on their children, causing them death in a brutal way!!!!!!
On the other hand, cases of getting rid of children, by the mother and the father, have increased, where perpetrators have claimed the same flimsy alienated reasons; disciplining the childm, difficulty of spending, or harrassing one of the couples .....
The Second Section of the report has monitored the crimes of sexual abuse of a child, which have reached (21) cases, whether from inside the family or the community.
(5) crimes of sexual abuse against children, within the family, have been detevted, including three cases of a step father who had assaulted his wife's daughter,leading to one girl's death the next day after the rape crime. Also, there is one case where the perpetrators were the following; the father, sister's husband, and the sister's husband's brother, where there was a failed rape attempt in one of the cases, while on the other two cases, the girl give a birth of a child, as a result of the sexual intercourse by the accused.
The number of abused females is (5) girls, while the number of male perpetrated violence is (5) males as well. The relationship between the perpetrator of the crimes and the children were the following; step father in 2 accidents; and each of the father, the sister's husband and brother of the sister's husband with one accident only.
The sexual assaults committed against children by the community has reached (16) crime, varied between attempts of sexual assault, sexual encroachment, rape, and murder. Crimes of sexual assault have reached (8) crimes, while the killing crimes, associated with attack, have reached (3) crimes, where there were (3) crimes of sexual encroachment, where one of them is associated with compulsory robbery. In addition, there was a sole crime of a failed attempt to assault, and another crime led to the injury victim.
From other side, the sector that committed most of the violence crimes was the sector of the unemployed, reaching (5) unemployed perpetrators, and (3) workers, blacksmiths, and drivers, while the other group of those who committed violence included a student, a mechanic, a teacher, a painter and tanneries owner. The jobs of others were not mentioned. The number of abused children has reached (18) female children and two male children , while the number of males, who perpetrated violence, has reached (29) male.
It is worth mentioning that (3) crimes of collective sexual abuse against children have been monitored (the sexual abuse against the child was committed by more than one individual)
The third section of the report has monitored premeditated murder against children, which have reached (14) crimes. Murder against children has been committed for various reasons, most notably; the compulsory robbery, financial disputes, asking for ransom, to avenge from a family member or the child himself, or because of children's playing with each other, where some of the crimes were due to unknown reasons, led to the death of (18) boy and a girl, and the wounding of (3)others, who had accompanied the victims. Males committed the most violences crimes, (14) males, including farmers, two students, a police officer, a driver, a Pie cooker, and unemployed person, where jobs of others were not mentioned. The number of females who committed violence crimes was a housewife, and two female children.
The fourth section of the report illustrates the cases of negligence in children's social, health, educational and nourishment rights, which have reached (87) case of negligence, led to the death of (52) child, as a result of neglecting his rights.
Where the number of monitored cases of negligence in the social care has reached (41) case, for a variety of reasons including: lack of care by parents or state officials; like children's fall down in the manhole, getting rid of the child as his birth was a result of illegal relationship, a bite by a strayed animal, or taking wrong drugs by mistake. In addition, there are crimes of suicide committed by children; some of them were due to the feeling that the male child or female child is doubted in his/her descent, by a family member; because of failure in the study; or because of family disputes. The violence led to many results, like death, injury, or leaving the child in juveniles' institutions.
Negligence has led to the death of (35) child, and wound of (15) others, nearly, while (9) Children have been deposited in institutions for juveniles. In addition, this report has included an incident of arrest of two girls and boy, who were exposed to imprisonment; while there have been incidents of students who work in garbage collection, which exposed them to disease.
Occupations of those who were in charge of violence crimes are the following; contractors, employees, officials, businessmen, workers, students, drivers and housewives, where jobs of others were not mentioned. The number of abused children has reached (29) girl, and (35) boy, nearly.
The number of cases of neglect in children's rights in health care has reached (13) incidents, due to many reasons, including lack of medical care, poor medical care by doctors and nurses, negligence in treatment, corruption of officials, or because of error in use of medicines or devices not intended for children, wrong diagnosis, or as a result of the conduct of female genital mutilation.
Neglect of the rights of children's health has led to many results, like death and injury, where accidents of injury have reached (6) accidents, led to the injury of (13) boys and girls, while the accidents of death have reached (7) accidents, resulted with deaths of (16) boys and girls. Male doctors, female doctors, nurses, officials, and people, hired by family members for the conduct of circumcision for females, have formed the group that committed most of the violations against children. The number of children abused was (15) girls and (14) males nearly.
The negligence in the educational care has reached (22) incident, because of the abuse and corruption of schools officials, and the absence of care, provided by teachers and schools officials. The violence incidents have lead to many consequences, like injury, beside mental injury, where incidents of physical injury, psychological injury, panic, frustration, vulnerability to diseases -were some had been imprisoned were, so injuries were not just physical- have reached (22) incidents.
There was no count of children who were victims of the violence, because counting has included several entire schools, while the number of perpetrators of violence were (46) male and two female teachers, nearly.
The negligence in the nourishment has reached (11) incidents. They were caused because of eating spoiled meals or non-support of subsidized dairy for infants, because of its disappearance from the hospitals of the ministry of health, in the absence of the role of the state. The aforementioned situation has resulted with exposing the infant to diseases and malnutrition, in addition to the deaths of some infants, as a result of poisoning.
Neglect of children's rights to nutrition has led to many results, like exposing many of the infants to disease, and the injury of (142) boy and a girl with poisoning, while there was one case of death to a girl, as a result of poisoning.
The Fifth Section monitors the physical attacks against children, where (6) cases of different attacks, by people outside the scope of the child's family and study, have been monitored. These attacks were committed because of differences while playing, in an aim of revenge, theft, disciplining, or physical differences.
This has resulted with the injury of (11) males. The perpetrators of violence were workers, a plumber, singer, and a dancer. The number of the perpetrator of violence was (12) males and one females.
Sixth Section of the report illustrates crimes of abduction of children, which have reached (20) crimes, for various reasons, such as kidnapping for revenge from the child's family, kidnapping for ransom, kidnapping because of the inability to have children, or as a fear of the loneliness, or because of impression, while some of the accidents were due to unknown reasons.
These incidents have resulted with the kidnapping of (9) females and (11) males. The number of perpetrators of violence have reached (21) males, including a driver student said, a mechanic, a broker, a car upholsterer, an owner of a workshop, and an Arab prince, where the work of the rest was not mentioned. However, females' numbers were (9); (8) housewives and a nurse, where perpetrators included the uncle's divorcee, the aunt, and her fiancé, while there was a crime committed by a child because he felt lonely.
Seventh Section monitors the crimes of children exploitation, which represent a violation to the rights of children in peaceful life, where (3) accidents of abuse of street children, in the theft and begging, were detected, in addition to abusing them in acts of homosexuality, and sexual encroachment.
There was no detected number of children exploited by some people, where they have reached, nearly, about (35) males and females children, by approximation, while the number of male perpetrators of violence was more than (4) males and one female.
Eighth Section monitors incidents of sale of children, where (4) accidents, by mothers against their children, have been monitored.
These incidents resulted with the sale of more than (6) children, in addition to attempts to sell tens of them. While incidents of sale of children led to the death of a child, after being thrown in a trash, by a gang, as they were afraid to be arrested. Violence perpetrators were the mothers and fathers, in addition to those who carry out the sale, like doctors, traditional birth attendants, brokers and housewives.
Ninth Section monitors child labor. Six accidents committed because of some owners of companies, exploitation by employer, torture, the need for money, or due to accidents while traveling or returning from work were monitored, where others have some unknown reasons. These accidents resulted with the death of (7) children, including a child, been electrocuted, while a girl was killed as a result of torture by her employer, while the other five children were killed while returning from work, in addition to the injury of (7) children, and depriving group of children from their income, and forcing a girl to marry two men, by the compulsion of her employer. Criminals were a businessman, a driver, a lawyer and a homemaker.
The tenth section monitors official violence directed to children. Nine accidents by official were monitored. These accidents resulted with the arrest of (75) student, after attacking a student summer camp, and the detention of child, aged 8 years, to implement a rule against his father, in addition to beating a young girl inside her house after the entry into the house, while she was there alone. Meanwhile, there were (5) incidents of marriage for minors under the legal age. Perpetrators of violence were members of the police and thugs.
The number of children exposed to encroach was not detected, as they are many, even young students were not protected from the intervention of the police forces, which he attacked the summer camp, beaten and arrested 75 of the children, as if those young constitute threat to the prestige of the state and deserve arrest, imprisonment and violation of their rights!??
While the number of males perpetrator of violence was (14) males approximately.
Section 11 reviews road accidents, which caused the death of children, and other incidents which were not included in any of the previous divisions, which amounted to (36) incident, led to the killing and death (41) children.
There were a variety of reasons including: an explosion of gas cylinders or others, fires, imbalance, crazy speed of the car, crossing the railway-road without warning, the collapse of houses or other, lack of proficiency in swimming, reckless bullets shots, falling objects that hit children during walking, or fall from the animals during climbing these animals. The violence has caused the death and injury, where death accidents have reached (26), associated with 4 incident of injury, resulted in deaths of (41) boy and a girl, while the incidents of injury (10) incidents, led to injury of (35) boys and girls. People who committed more violence were (8) drivers and farmers, and an agronomist. The number of abused children was (45) boy and (31) girl. The number of male perpetrators of violence was (13) males.
The report reviews the most important conclusion in the observations and recommendations.
- The need for clear mechanisms, to force the concerned governmental institutions, that was originated for the child, to look at the problems of poor children, like homelessness, employment and exploitation of children. Even a violation and infringement of their rights of education, health, housing, development and play...
- The need for civil society organizations to issue a report parallel to the governmental third and fourth report, presented to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the period 2001 – 2008, to correct the inaccuracies and the incorrect results , which was cited in the Government's report, and to urge the Government to take steps and measures to protect children's rights, stipulated in international charters and conventions, and to ensure their rights in integrated care and growth, especially for protecting children in risk, and working children, so as to stop violence against children.
- The need to punish all those who participated or contributed in the sale of children, and their sexual exploitation, with severe penalties, up to imprisonment for life, to reduce the spread of this crime against our children.
-The need to develop an integrated mechanism to improve the situation of marginalized children, and families at risk of delinquency, including the monitoring of cases of violence, to ensure their protection and contribution in the creation of practical mechanisms, so as to intervene, in order to stop the infringement on the rights of children
- Enabling children and their families, improving their living conditions, and ensure the right to social security for low-income families, without a breadwinner, and increasing their awareness of their rights and duties, and how to protect themselves from any kind of violence, and urging them to report in cases of abuse or violence, with the provision of appropriate mechanisms to do so.
- We shall work on spreading the attacks against the rights of children in the social pages, not in pages of accidents, and paying attention to the formulation of the news of child abuse, and the characterization of the crime correctly, by dealing with all aspects.
The Center calls upon all civil society organizations to work together to stop violence against children and ensuring their growth and education and a decent life.
You can obtain a copy of the report from the Center's headquarters, or our website