The Land Center for Human Rights, a Cairo-based non-governmental organization devoted to women’s, children’s and farmers’ rights, published a report last month on violent crimes committed against women in 2009. Based on incidents documented in the media, the report offers an alarming account of what is arguably one of the biggest problems afflicting modern Egyptian communities.
With the number of violent acts against women–which include murder, unintentional killing and sexual assault–having slightly increased since their last published report, the most disturbing aspect of the center’s 2009 findings is how inconclusive they actually are.
“These numbers are only based on the incidents reported in some papers. Realistically, they represent about one percent of the actual number of violent acts committed against women,” says Karam Saber Ibrahim, the center’s executive director. According to Ibrahim, crimes of this type are usually not reported due to the poor educational standards in Egypt that discourage women from approaching anyone with these problems. “People don’t talk about these issues and, as a result, women’s rights are completely disregarded.”
In an effort to bring more exposure to the problem as a whole instead of just individual crimes, the report delves into the causes behind the phenomenon, citing the reasons that might have led to the violent acts committed. While the fact that most of the incidents seem to be based on domestic disputes stemming from either marital problems or financial difficulties, it is the level of violence that is shocking, with brutal acts committed not only by husbands, but by sons, grandsons and brothers against the women of the family.
In one case a wife was thrown off her balcony, while others depict methods of violence as barbaric as deliberate chemical burns, stabbings, strangulation and more than one case of husbands dousing their spouses in kerosene and setting them on fire.
The center’s report also includes violent acts committed outside the family, the majority of which seem to be sexually motivated. Among its findings were 22 incidents of kidnapping and gang-rape, in which the victims were imprisoned for several days and repeatedly assaulted by two to six men before being released. While in most cases perpetrators’ motivations seem to be purely sexual, the report also links several cases of sexual assault to robbery or even revenge. Similar cases were also reported to have occurred between members of the same family.
“This is what happens in the absence of basic social and economic rights, combined with an increase in poverty,” explains Ibrahim. For him, the report is not merely an account of society’s most heinous crimes, but an attempt to bring attention to the deteriorating state of human relationships. Fuelled by ignorance and fear, these problems will only grow, Ibrahim claims. “People need to educate themselves and talk about these problems so that they can become even more educated–enough, hopefully, to be able to deal with them. The way things are now, nobody knows anything–it’s all taboo.”
Through her work as the Freedom from Violence Project Manager for CARE Egypt, Vivian Mokhtar shares Ibrahim’s point of view. “A lot of our traditions are based on discrimination,” says Mokhtar. “With most women not knowing their rights, and without a reliable authority to turn to, it becomes much easier for a problem like this to grow.”
Recently, Mokhtar and her team conducted a study in which they talked to women from 29 different villages. “It was distressing how many of them could not even see the problem with being regularly beaten by their husbands,” she recalls. “For many of them, the logic was ‘the more my husband beats me, the more I know he cares about me,’ and, in turn, most husbands felt it was their obligation to beat their wives in order to discipline them. We had to introduce them to the concept of basic human rights.”
It is this lack of awareness that Mokhtar cites as the leading cause behind the disturbing phenomenon. “Because of how conservative our society is, most people don’t receive proper sexual education, and, as a result, don’t know how to deal with or even identify any sexual problems or frustrations they might experience as newlyweds,” she explains. “This leads to an atmosphere of resentment, suspicion and–in the worst cases–violence.”
Given the scale and seriousness of the problem, Mokhtar’s solution–talking–is a simple one, yet achieving it will not be an easy task. Creating an atmosphere in which these issues can be comfortably discussed will require effort. “Because religion plays such a big role in people’s lives here, religious organizations should also do their part,” says Mokhtar, “as long as they’re qualified enough to do so properly, and not make things worse by telling women to ‘suck it up.’”
Ibrahim, on the other hand, does not believe the solution is so simple. “If there was any willingness for change on the government’s part, then change would happen," he says. "But they’re just a bunch of thugs who aren’t the least bit invested in their people.”
Given the oppression associated with life under martial law, Ibrahim understands why so many young Egyptians are more concerned with getting out of their country then they are in attempting to fix its problems. “You can’t have progress without change, and you can’t have change without hope,” he reasons. “The few opportunities left here are disappearing daily, as is the people’s will to improve their country.”
Both Mokhtar and Ibrahim believe that a willingness to openly discuss the issue will be a first step towards bringing about significant changes, starting with the law.
“There is nothing in present-day Egyptian law that prohibits a man from beating his wife,” says Mokhtar. “The law leaves women virtually defenseless. Add that to the standards of male education in this country, and you end up with a society in which it seems like men are encouraged to beat their wives.”
Countless human rights groups, Mokhtar claims, have approached the government with proposals for legal amendments. “As far as I know, they have yet to receive a reply,” Mokhtar sighs, before going on to express her belief that, despite being asked to intervene, government authorities remain thoroughly unprepared to deal with the problem.
“Police should be trained how to deal with these cases, instead of making women feel uncomfortable,” she says. “They desperately lack the ability to empathize with a woman who’s coming to them seeking help from an abusive husband. They need to realize a woman can show up in bruises one day, and in a body bag the next.”
“It’s a serious problem that needs immediate attention,” says Nihad Ragih of the National Council for Women. As head of the council’s Combating Violence against Women Project, Ragih recognizes the urgency of the issue, as well as several reasons behind the phenomenon.
“In most cases, violent behavior is directed at persons seen to be weak and incapable of defending themselves or retaliating," she said. "Unfortunately, the weaker ones are usually the women and children.”
Economic pressures can also lead to violent incidents. “Even though it’s completely unjustified, stress caused by financial issues can lead to an atmosphere of tension and frustration within a household, which, when combined with low educational standards, will more often than not result in further domestic violence,” explains Ragih.
“Not to mention the countless horrid examples of ‘acceptable behavior’ as seen in films and television shows,” Ragih adds, before pointing out the absence of decent role models in most sources of entertainment.
Even the media can be held accountable for contributing to the problem. Ibrahim points out that, for the most part, the media has failed to offer any insightful analysis of the phenomenon. “Newspapers deal with these stories in the most reprehensible way,” he fumes, “either with salacious stories in the Crime News section, or headlines that turn abused women into statistics."
"Any social, psychological or educational aspects of the story are completely ignored," he adds. "The cause is never discussed and it’s not important–just the numbers and the gory details.”
Although she has not read the Land Center’s report, Mokhtar agrees, having learned from experiences with abused women just how difficult it is to bring attention to their plight. “The media portrays these incidents purely as assault cases–if they’re discussed at all,” she says. “More often than not, abused women will be too afraid or embarrassed to seek help of any kind. And the ones that do report it usually end up suffering because of it, either because of uneducated policemen, an incompetent system or superficial reporting.”
Anger over reports of abuse might only fuel further violence within families, Ibrahim explains, before expressing his belief that newspapers, for the most part, are not concerned with such consequences.
“Besides, all Egyptian media–whether state-owned or independent–moves strictly along the same framework laid down by the government," he says. "Some may move a little more actively within that framework, and delude themselves into thinking they have more freedom or courage, but, ultimately, everyone follows the same rules.”
It is these “rules,” Ibrahim claims, which prohibit the open discussion so desperately needed in order to put an end to a medieval problem. “The media, like most people in this country, do not see women as being complete creatures,” Ibrahim says. “Women are fundamentally lacking, according to commonly-held beliefs. They are not complete, because they are not men.”
