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Programs to improve the conditions of rural women in participation

On Thursday 16/4/2009, the LCHR held a training workshop at its headquarter in the presence of 55 participants from the governorates of Beni Suef, Fayoum, Sohag, Minya, Qena, Aswan, Cairo, Qaliubiya, Suez, Assiut, Monoufia, Dakahlia and Sharqeya. Also attended a number of members of local councils and NGOs, and women participated by 80% of the audience. A number of satellite channels covered the workshop, like Zeina program of the second channel in Egypt.
The workshop began with an opening word by Ms. Dalia Amara, workshop coordinator, which she welcomed the attendees and made a presentation on the activities of the Land Center and its objectives and interests to improve the conditions of the countryside and to promote and support both male and female farmers to ensure their rights in a life of dignity and equality. As part of that is of interest in women's cases and to improve their circumstances in light of the economic crisis, as women are half of society and the maker of generations. Then, made a presentation for today's meetings and the workshop's objectives.
Then, she presented a documentary film entitled "an important film" produced by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, the film shows expression in ways of dealing with women's insights and references .... etc. It also highlighted how to avoid some of the harassments experienced by women and the right reactions to such harassments, and how the face dangerous situations, which women may face in the daily practices.
Then, then began the events of the first session on "The impact of the economic crisis on the situations of women" headed by Prof. Manal Tibi, director of the Egyptian Center for Housing Rights. She confirmed that the worst-hit part in the community is the weakest section such as women and children, especially rural women for wasting their economic and social rights.
Then, Ms. Farida El-Naqqash, editor in chief of El Ahaly newspaper, presented a paper on how to advance women. She confirmed that there is blatant discrimination against women in general, and women in rural areas and agricultural employment in particular, and that these habits are due to an inherited culture that control the Egyptian family in general and the rural family in particular. She added that there is a complex exploitation by the capital against the workers and peasants, and there is an added burden on rural women, and confirmed that the main reason for the creation of slum belts around the cities is the government's policies against farmers and peasants. Then she pointed to the high rates of unemployment among females, as it is due to the application of economic reform policies and evictions against small farmers, adding that the conditions of the peasants were better under the land reform policies to support the rights of peasants, but the liberalization of agriculture policies canceled the support of the peasants, although the EU countries and U.S. support their farmers each year continually, referring to the low wages of rural women, where their wages reach half men's wages although they participate in the majority of the economic activity rates make the same effort and have the same requirements, but still get half the pay. She also noted the food of the poor is lower by 20% of their average needs, and referred to the speech of President Mubarak in 1981 when he said, "those who do not own their livelihoods, do not own their freedom" and after 30 years, we do not own our livelihoods or our freedom.
Then, there was a follow up by Tibi, saying that the paper has a holistic view, presenting the conditions of the poor in general, and in the countryside in particular, and rural women more specifically, but the negative effects of globalization should have been clarified in more detail. She said that social movements are extremely poor in the context of globalization and there is no presence of real reform, and stressed that there are no social movements, but seed of social movements.
The participation of farmers asserted on the need to clarify the ways and platform for action to improve the status of women, and organizations must also contribute to the transfer of international experiences for the liberation of women.
Then began the events of the second session about "the situation of women in Egypt" chaired by Dr. Osama Bedier, "Land Center". The session began with an opening speech by Dr. Osama Bedier presenting the lecturers and welcoming them, then presented the deteriorating conditions of the Egyptian society, especially for women at the economic, social and political levels.
Then spoke Prof. Hoda Zakaria, professor of sociology political and adviser of non-governmental organizations. She spoke about the concept of the feminization of poverty, as there are a billion people of the world's poor who live below the poverty line and 90% of them are women, and the proportions of women in non-wage work is much higher than men, and that women are the real holder of the economic and social concerns of the society. She stressed the need to develop civil society, and said that there is a clear difference between the people's vision and the government's vision of women, for example, the popular vision believes that population growth is the solution to the problems of families, while the official vision believes that the increase of population is the basic problem is to support the development.
The meeting also discussed the division of social and economic roles of sex and the bill paid by the economic crisis, especially rural women and the use of women to work outside the home and within the dominant culture in the Egyptian society and the moral confusion of lines and the unemployment crisis and ways of activating the role of NGOs in devising economic solutions.
Then spoke Mrs. Rasha Mohammed, the Egyptian Center for Women, and presented a report on the status of women in Egypt in 2008, which showed the status of women and political participation and the most important laws and draft laws and the most sit-ins and strikes led by the women and the conditions of Egyptian women abroad and the most important manifestations of violence against women, particularly on sexual harassment, rape, female genital mutilation and crimes honor and family violence.
And after that, the interventions of the participants confirmed the dire situation of women in Egypt and that the government should do its part to improve the situation of women through positive interventions to improve the conditions of political participation and economic and social wealth, as is the weaker party, which needs the support and the support to ensure their rights to equality and decent work and decent income.
Then started the third session with the chairmanship of Professor Wafa'a El Masry, lawyer at the Freedom Committee at the Lawyers' Syndicate, she confirmed that there is a set of constraints and restrictions that hinder the advancement of rural women, and pointed to the absence of the role of the state and the government, corruption and bias of the business, leading to the deterioration of the situation of human rights especially for women in the countryside.
Then spoke Mrs. Jihan Farouk, CARE International, who emphasized the role of NGOs in the advancement of women and improvement of their political participation, adding that this role will be effective only if the associations aim to bring about real change to society, this is the effect on the credibility and the exercise of the general elections and added that the role of associations must be that goes beyond just the simple provision of services for women such as subsidies or national card number as such activities contribute to the further marginalization of women, but the association that the roles of the integrated development of society as a whole and thus to improve the situation of women, and then presented the success stories of the women were able to realistically access to the seats in the People's struggle through a long journey.
And then, the participants confirmed the need to change social, political and cultural society systems, such as the need to change the role of women and improve their situations to stop violence against them, and that there must be participation of stakeholders in this change.
The fourth and final session was about work programs, headed by Dr. Abeer Badran, a professor of social sciences at the high Institute of qualitative studies, through the division of the audience to four working groups on:
• Civil associations and institutions and their problems.
• Exploitation of women.
• Lack of basic services in the countryside.
• The reluctance of women from political participation.
They discussed each of these problems, studied the reasons and tried to reach the proposed solutions to these problems. Participants then returned to the meeting again and discussing the results, which have been reached in the working groups.
The main recommendations of the workshop to assist in the advancement of rural women and to overcome difficulties in the way were:
• Raising political and community awareness among women through the holding of seminars, issuing pamphlets, highlighting the work of successful models for the participation of women and the necessity of intervention of the State laws and procedures to promote such participation.
• To provide safe jobs and social security for women, particularly singles and families with limited income and improving the availability of public services to citizens.
• Raising the awareness of the community about the role and participation of women and positive cultural change in the testator oppressed women.
• Change the laws to prevent the exploitation of women in any way.
• To amend the Societies Act to allow citizens to form independent associations without the interference or the guardianship of the administrative bodies, and work to resolve the internal problems of the association.
The participants elaborated a plan of action to implement these recommendations with the continuation of implementing the plan by holding periodic meetings coordinated by the Land Center to discuss the results of the recommendations that support the rights of women to participate, support them in improving their income and to provide follow-up reports of the participating associations about the obstacles and problems that hinder the advancement of rural women and to work to resolve them to ensure the rights of women to a life of dignity, equality and safety.
You can obtain a full copy of the lectures and the workshop papers from the Center or from our website