HUMAN RIGHTS AND HEALTH EQUITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVOCACY, ACTION, AND GOVERNANCE

Presenting the Safe Cities Free from

Violence Against Women and Girls

Programme The American University in Cairo.

4 November 2014.

UN Women Egypt CO Impact Areas

Leadership and Participation

Ending Violence Against Women & Girls

National Planning and Budgeting

Women Economic Empowerment

Whether on city streets, public transportation or in their own neighborhoods, women and girls are subjected to various types of violence and abuse ─ from sexual harassment, both physical and verbal, to sexual assault and rape.

Sexual Harassment in Egypt

Sexual Harassment in Egypt

UN Women raised the issue of sexual harassment in nation-wide reports and studies such as the Survey of Young People in Egypt (looking at youth aged 10 to 24), which included a sub-section on sexual harassment. The results of this survey showed that:

• 98.9% of female respondents said they had been subjected to verbal harassment;

• 4.57% of female respondents said they had been touched inappropriately or forced to touch others in an inappropriate manner;

• 97.9% of female respondents said they were harassed by a stranger;

• 43.2% of female respondents said they were subjected to harassment while using public transportation;

• 10% of female respondents said they were subjected to harassment in a dark street;

• Almost 55% of female respondents had not told anyone about being harassed, while 45% reported their case to someone they trusted;

• None of the females who “told someone” reported their case to the police.

• 50% of female respondents had been subjected to some form of sexual harassment;

How can we Trigger change?

Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls Programme

Main goal is provide the relevant institutions in Egypt with the skills and knowledge to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls in public spaces while also intervening to reduce prevalence of VAW/G in intervention sites.

It aims at: improved quality of life, enhanced mobility and improved sense of personal security.

Produce a tested and proven global model through an impact evaluation that can be widely disseminated to policy-makers, donors, and civil society for adaptation and up-scaling, and which can be tailored to local contexts.

Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls Programme

Expected outcomes and outputs will focus on the role of duty bearers and their enhanced knowledge, skills and forged partnerships that will help prevent and respond to cases of VAW & G in public spaces. Rights holders will also gain knowledge and develop their capacities to demand their rights and other civic entitlements. Prevention campaigns on the subject of VAW & G in public spaces will be launched and it is envisaged that practical infrastructure safety measures will be instituted by local communities and the national government.

Achievements so far….

A baseline Survey, a scoping study finalized and An Impact Evaluation Methodology ongoing. The IE design will include incorporation of gender equality and human rights approaches, participatory techniques, application of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, construction of counterfactuals to help to assess impact attribution, and a longitudinal study involving ex-ante (baseline), mid-term, post (end line) and ideally; ex-post assessments (after projects end or the initial implementation phase ends).

Baseline and Impact Evaluation

Penal code article clearly defining and criminalizing Sexual Harassment drafted and issued.

• The article is the result of the coordinated work on Civil Society Organizations, Ministries, UN Agencies and Local and International Legal Experts.

• UN Women is working on further amendment of the penal code to have a comprehensive legal framework that effectively prosecutes all forms of VAW&G from the first contact to the verdict.

Legislative Amendments

Photo credits: Al Youm el Saba

UN Women is collaborating with UNODC and the MOJ on an assessment being done with involved stakeholders, which will then be used to the design and structure of the Multi-disciplinary Units.

The Multi-disciplinary Unit

Justice Personnel Psychological Support

Legal Support Forensics

Successful launch of the GBV Strategy under the auspices of his Excellency/ Ibrahim Mehleb, Egypt Prime minister,

The protocol was signed by 11 Ministries:

Ministry of InteriorMinistry of Education Ministry of YouthMinistry of JusticeMinistry Social Solidarity Ministry of EndowmentsMinistry of HealthMinistry of CultureMinistry of TourismEgypt State of Information ServiceMinistry of Manpower

Gender-Based Violence Strategy

Photo Credits: National Council for Women

• The Ombudsperson Office has established mechanisms within the implementing NGOs inside the three intervention areas of the programme to provide legal support to women as well as conduct legal awareness-raising sessions for community members.

• Awareness-raising sessions were conducted for over 500 women and men within the three areas of interventions on topics of legal rights and entitlements in the Egyptian law.

Legal Support to Women

UN Women has partnered with the Freedom from Drugs and HIV Programme of the Evangelical Church to establish a programme with the implementing NGOs inside the three areas of intervention to work on outreach and awareness-raising on the relation between drugs and violence against women.

The direct linkage between frequent or regular use of drugs with increasing violence rates constitutes a strong reason to engage with rehabilitation programs and outreach campaigns to contain the impact of violence on both drug users and their partners or families.

Drugs Programme

Youth Engagement

Interactive Community

Theater

Child Abuse Programme

Awareness-raising

on VAW issues

Sports for Development

Volunteers Support

Programme

Thank you