How Egyptians are fighting forced marriage
Forced marriage in rural areas, especially in Upper Egypt, has become so rampant that several women and civil institutions launched campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of such practices.
CAIRO — Four women in their 20s launched Nov. 25 the Mategberneesh (Don’t Force Me) online campaign in an effort to counter forced marriage in Egypt. The campaign aims to raise awareness on social media as well as open up a space to discuss the controversial topic. In the future, the campaign plans to organize live street events to increase public interaction.
“The campaign idea came on the heels of combating violence against women, and forced marriage being one of those types of violence. We have seen positive interaction with the campaign. However, many women still fear talking about it and prefer to stay silent,” Asmaa Bassil, a co-founder of the campaign, told Al-Monitor.
Several victims of forced marriage have shared on social media their stories and the negative repercussions of this practice on their lives.
“Among the many faces of forced marriage is the tribal forced marriage where a girl cannot marry and does not have the right to choose a life partner from outside her family,” Bassil said.
