Egyptian activists and opposition leaders often talk of the need to put more effort into achieving their goals of a free and independent society that engages in democracy and other “modern” aspects that denote success. However, for far too long, opposition leaders have forsaken women, for whatever reason. As today marks the beginning of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it is important to show the reasons that a strong female involvement in society will achieve more than most activists and opposition leaders believe.

Throughout history, women have been the catalysts toward the betterment of society. It cannot be denied. When the United States began its push to the top of the global hierarchy in the 1950s, women were still seen as wives and subordinate to men. Today, over 50 years later, very few Americans would argue that women cannot do the things men can do. Society has, in a sense, equalized and enabled for a better nation of debate. Certainly, there are difficulties, as nearly one-third of all women murdered in the U.S. are done so by intimate partners, United Nations statistics reveal.

There is no need to show how European women helped make the progressive movements in the 1960s and 1970s a reality, all we have to do is look at the make-up of societies there today. Women are leading many aspects of these countries. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Great Britain in the 1980s, Angela Merkel is the current German Chancellor and a Bulgarian women beat out Egypt’s Farouk Hosni to take the helm of UNESCO. Women are on the move almost everywhere, but in Egypt, they continue to lag behind.

Only a handful of women sit in the country’s Parliament, and half of them were appointed by President Hosni Mubarak. Last month, when leading opposition figure Ayman Nour inaugurated his anti-succession campaign to a media frenzy, out of the roughly 50 leaders present, only one was a woman. This is disgusting, on many levels.

As for violence against women in Egypt and around the region, statistics are difficult to come by. The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR), in 2008, published a report titled “clouds in Egypt’s sky” showed that 98 percent of foreign women and 60 percent of Egyptian women are harassed on a daily basis. The study was conducted on a sample of more than 2000 women in a number of governorates.

Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak went on pan-Arabic news network Al Arabiya last year to refute claims that Egyptian women were treated poorly.

“Egyptian men always respect Egyptian women,” the first lady said. What world is she living in? Oh yes, the world where everything looks pristine and perfect from the palace roof. Average women should be laughing at her claims, because any observer has seen first-hand the manner in which women are often treated on Egypt’s streets. It is dispicable and needs to be addressed.

The statistics don’t lie, Mrs. Mubarak. According to the government-run Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) report, 47 percent of married women between 15 and 49 are subjected to physical violence after turning 15, at least once; while 33 percent of married women are physically abused before getting marriage and 7 percent are sexually abused before marriage.

The question is, as the ongoing “controversy” seems to be never ending, whether Egypt can come to terms with the realities on the ground. Women are beaten, raped, assaulted and harassed daily. In commemorating this day, one should take a closer look at the role of women in society in order to develop a country based on mutual respect and understanding. Women are not chattle and Egyptian activists and politicians – though not all – must end their denials of what really goes on.

Violence against women exists in Egypt to a degree that is absurd. The honor of women must be supported.

BM

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