Egyptian women campaign for larger role in parliament
A number of Egyptian women's rights activists are campaigning to increase female representation in parliament ahead of this year's elections.
CAIRO — Egyptian women today still suffer from cultural, social and political discrimination with no indication from policymakers for progress. Though women attained the right to political participation in 1956, significant development has been minimal. The January 25 and June 30 revolutions marked a significant change as women were at the forefront throughout.
Women have since been empowered and are more eager than ever to attain their rights. The recent triumph of Hala Shukrallah, the first female Coptic Christian to head a political party in Egypt — the Dostour Party — indicates the momentum for women to become more politically active.
“It is about time we as women realize that no one will defend us better than one of us!” exclaimed Shahira Mehrez, a renowned Egyptian activist, one of the founders of a new female political initiative, Women for Women (WFW), which began in Cairo in November 2013.
The initiative was led by Hoda Badran, chairwoman of the Egyptian Feminist Union, and has been embraced by 200 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt’s 27 governorates. The Ministry of Social Solidarity subsequently granted permission for the Feminist Union to fundraise as of January 2014. The campaign intends to galvanize and empower women, to establish strong fundraising and lobbying groups and increase their participation in parliamentary and municipal elections.
