Egypt's revolution is false dawn for women
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Cairo (dpa) – Hopes that the Egyptian revolution would improve the status of women in the Arab world's most populous country have been dimmed after a parliamentary election dominated by men and images of police beating female protesters made headlines all over the world.
Women turnout in the first two rounds of Egypt's first democratic parliamentary election was high. Many waited hours in long lines to cast their ballots. However, less than 10 per cent of some 11,000 candidates vying for parliament seats are women, advocacy groups say.
“Many women voted for candidates who would not serve their interests,” said Naiera al-Leithy of the Al-Nakib Centre for Training and Democracy Support, a non-governmental organization that monitors the election.
Under Egyptian law, two-thirds of parliament's 498 seats are allocated to party lists, with the other third earmarked for independent candidates. Each party list must have at least one woman, but her rank on the 10-member list is decided by the party.
Most parties have relegated women to the bottom five slots on their lists, minimizing their chances of winning a seat.
None of the women who stood as independents in the first two stages of the election, held in late November and mid-December, has won.
Amany Essawi, a 46-year-old government employee, is one of them.
“Women did not have a say in the constitutional declaration" said Essawi, referring to a governing document unilaterally drafted by the ruling military council in March after former president Hosny Mubarak stepped down in February.
"Very few were appointed in the ensuing governments. In fact, women have been sidelined from the democratization process,” said Essawi, who stood in Giza, Egypt's third largest city.
Essawi believes that the media, educational institutions and women themselves must join hands to improve the status of Egyptian women and give them a greater role in society and politics.
“The new parliament will be the one setting the educational standards,” she said, voicing little hope of future legislation to improve the status of women.
Al-Leithy from the AL-Nakib NGO says that despite a high voter turnout, including among women, many Egyptians voted for candidates and parties they know little or nothing about in a country where the literacy rate among adults is 66 per cent.
Many women rights activists feel that their fight is no easier now than under Mubarak.
Women were actively engaged in the popular protests that ended Mubarak's 30-year, organizing demonstrations and giving first aid to people injured in clashes with police.
That role has continued in recent weeks during violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo, where women demonstrators were attacked by police. An incident involving three riot policemen beating a woman and dragging her on the floor with her shirt ripped open, drew condemnation at home and abroad.
A picture of the incident was printed on the front pages of some Egyptian newspapers and was aired by international broadcasters.
"We – the women of the revolution - have worked hard to mobilize the streets. We have rich experiences and have a vision,” said Huda Nasrallah, a lawyer who is running in Cairo’s northern district of al-Sahel.
“Instead of being honoured for our role in the revolution, we have been marginalized and even beaten,” said Nasrallah, who is running for the newly formed Socialist Popular Alliance Party.
Thousands of women marched in Cairo on Monday to protest the incident and to demand an end to violence against protesters.
It was not the first attack on women demonstrators under the ruling military council. Less than a month after Mubarak's resignation, some 200 women gathering in Cairo to mark International Women's Day were attacked and sexually harassed by a group of men.
In March, a group of women detained by the army were beaten and forced to take virginity tests. The ruling military admitted such tests had taken place, saying they were necessary to prevent women from claiming they had been raped by security and prison officials.
The tests were condemned by human rights groups as abusive and insulting.
“Many people have blamed this girl rather than standing by her,” said Nasrallah, the parliamentary hopeful, referring to criticism for obscene behaviour leveled at the woman beaten by police. “We still need a long time to change society's perception of women.”
Cairo (dpa) – Hopes that the Egyptian revolution would improve the status of women in the Arab world's most populous country have been dimmed after a parliamentary election dominated by men and images of police beating female protesters made headlines all over the world.
Women turnout in the first two rounds of Egypt's first democratic parliamentary election was high. Many waited hours in long lines to cast their ballots. However, less than 10 per cent of some 11,000 candidates vying for parliament seats are women, advocacy groups say.
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| epa |
Under Egyptian law, two-thirds of parliament's 498 seats are allocated to party lists, with the other third earmarked for independent candidates. Each party list must have at least one woman, but her rank on the 10-member list is decided by the party.
Most parties have relegated women to the bottom five slots on their lists, minimizing their chances of winning a seat.
None of the women who stood as independents in the first two stages of the election, held in late November and mid-December, has won.
Amany Essawi, a 46-year-old government employee, is one of them.
“Women did not have a say in the constitutional declaration" said Essawi, referring to a governing document unilaterally drafted by the ruling military council in March after former president Hosny Mubarak stepped down in February.
"Very few were appointed in the ensuing governments. In fact, women have been sidelined from the democratization process,” said Essawi, who stood in Giza, Egypt's third largest city.
Essawi believes that the media, educational institutions and women themselves must join hands to improve the status of Egyptian women and give them a greater role in society and politics.
“The new parliament will be the one setting the educational standards,” she said, voicing little hope of future legislation to improve the status of women.
Al-Leithy from the AL-Nakib NGO says that despite a high voter turnout, including among women, many Egyptians voted for candidates and parties they know little or nothing about in a country where the literacy rate among adults is 66 per cent.
Many women rights activists feel that their fight is no easier now than under Mubarak.
Women were actively engaged in the popular protests that ended Mubarak's 30-year, organizing demonstrations and giving first aid to people injured in clashes with police.
That role has continued in recent weeks during violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo, where women demonstrators were attacked by police. An incident involving three riot policemen beating a woman and dragging her on the floor with her shirt ripped open, drew condemnation at home and abroad.
A picture of the incident was printed on the front pages of some Egyptian newspapers and was aired by international broadcasters.
"We – the women of the revolution - have worked hard to mobilize the streets. We have rich experiences and have a vision,” said Huda Nasrallah, a lawyer who is running in Cairo’s northern district of al-Sahel.
“Instead of being honoured for our role in the revolution, we have been marginalized and even beaten,” said Nasrallah, who is running for the newly formed Socialist Popular Alliance Party.
Thousands of women marched in Cairo on Monday to protest the incident and to demand an end to violence against protesters.
It was not the first attack on women demonstrators under the ruling military council. Less than a month after Mubarak's resignation, some 200 women gathering in Cairo to mark International Women's Day were attacked and sexually harassed by a group of men.
In March, a group of women detained by the army were beaten and forced to take virginity tests. The ruling military admitted such tests had taken place, saying they were necessary to prevent women from claiming they had been raped by security and prison officials.
The tests were condemned by human rights groups as abusive and insulting.
“Many people have blamed this girl rather than standing by her,” said Nasrallah, the parliamentary hopeful, referring to criticism for obscene behaviour leveled at the woman beaten by police. “We still need a long time to change society's perception of women.”
