Commentary
From Cairo to Louisiana, More Female Judges Needed
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Egyptian feminists are well aware of the distinction between law on the books and law in action; the challenge is now to implement the constitutional mandate.
Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/egypt/)
Egyptian feminists are well aware of the distinction between law on the books and law in action; the challenge is now to implement the constitutional mandate.
Egypt has a new law against sex harassment that was flagrantly flouted days later in Tahrir Square. Yet, the topic will likely be unmentionable. “Talking about it is seen as offensive,” says a safety activist in Cairo.
Recent attacks against women and girls during celebrations of the election and inauguration of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi are nothing new. The Egyptian government needs a comprehensive and coordinated approach to curb this sexual violence.
Prospects and the appreciation for women’s roles are improving everywhere from Liberia to Japan, says Hillary Clinton. Yet, during celebrations for Egypt’s new president, Tahrir Square was the site of a series of sexual assaults.
A poll of India’s voters in the historic election indicated that 90 percent believe that combatting violence against women should be a priority. Also this week, Iraq may approve a law permitting marriage as early as age 9 with parental consent.
FIFA’s final approval on head coverings for players in international competition is energizing Arab female football (soccer in U.S.) players. In Egypt, many more players can now set sights on the World Cup for under-17 players in Jordan in 2016.
Yasmine El-Mehairy left a high-profile job to create a website to help mothers in Arab countries, says Nafeesa Syeed in this excerpt from the book “Arab Women Rising.” Little did she realize she’d have to carve out her own path.
A petition has been delivered to the Ohio State Legislature demanding an end to a rape-related law. Also this week, a sexual harassment case in one of Egypt’s largest universities has sparked outrage after the school’s dean blamed the woman’s outfit.
The appeal date for the Al-Azhar University students is postponed to April 2. The young women were detained in what is being described as the biggest roundup of Egyptians in two decades; AP reports an unofficial detention figure of 16,000.
A democracy activist calls the current conditions in Egypt worse than under Mubarak and the treatment of women in detention as “horrific, absolutely horrific.” Her assessment is echoed by a variety of groups; anti-military outrage has spread beyond pro-Morsi Islamists.