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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.
The Giza Pyramids are pictured behind the River Nile, houses and hotels on a cold day around in Cairo, Egypt December 5, 2016.  REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC163ED1B870
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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.

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