The National Council for Women and the United Nations Development Programme join forces to combat violence against women

 

The National Council for Women (NCW) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the ministries of Justice, Interior and Foreign Affairs have launched a new programme to combat violence against women. Ambassador Mervat Tallawy, President of the NCW, Ambassador Sherif Refaat, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Ignacio Artaza, UNDP Egypt Country Director, endorsed the programme in the presence of representatives from the ministries of Justice and Interior.

 

According to a United Nations study conducted in 2013, 99% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment. The programme aims to tackle this problem by strengthening the capacities of government institutions and mechanisms, as well as informing the public about the negative impact of violence against women and girls, families and society as a whole. In addition, it will engage citizens’ participation by linking reporting with law enforcement actions through the development of technological applications.

 

Mr. Ignacio Artaza, UNDP Country Director stated: "Violence against women and girls is wrong. As human beings we mustn’t tolerate this suffering endured by women and girls and accept that perpetrators of these despicable acts get away with such offense. I believe a zero-tolerance policy is required; it is a basic human right that admits no ambiguity. "

 

The programme is funded by UNDP and will expose Egyptian officials to best practices from other countries and lead national efforts in addressing this problem.