“When I got married, my husband was a very nervous man. He used to beat me a lot. I do not like clumsy men. He used to beat and insult me for the slightest reasons. I always suffered injuries.”
That’s how “Mona Mohammed Gad”, a 37-year-old housewife started to tell her story with her violent husband.
“When my daughter finished her preparatory school, my husband refused to let her continue her studies in a high school and wanted her to get married. I insisted on sending my daughter to school so he beat me, injuring me in the head. We were on the verge of having a divorce. When I was admitted to hospital, he agreed to let the girl go to school,” Mona went on to say.
She added that she refrained from getting a divorce for the sake of the kids.
“I had to bear the situation. Although I am still his wife, the kids and I hate him. They fear him. Whenever he stays at home, we feel annoyed. He lost the kids and me because of his abuse. Violence leads to hatred.”
Enas Mohamed, a 35-year-old engineer, also suffered domestic violence, although the details are a little bit different.
“My ex-husband used to beat me. He used to take important decisions behind my back. When I find out, he used to say that he would never consult a woman before taking any decision. I decided to get a divorce. I went to my family and insisted on the divorce. He divorced me while I was five-month pregnant with our daughter,” Enas said.t
Another source, who asked not be named, told us: “My husband’s family wanted my daughter to undergo a Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) but I refused. My husband, whose family supports FGM, did not back my position. My mother in law took the girl and circumcised her. Since then, my daughter feared her father. We ended up getting a divorce.”
Some men practice violence against women, believing that they are fragile and unable to claim their rights. There are various types of violence; verbal abuse, battery and FGM.
Women lay the fundamentals of the society. They might be fragile but they are strongest and most brave.
Reda al-Danbouqy, a lawyer and head of Women’s Awareness Center, said: “Violence against women is a societal problem. Article 306 of the Egyptian Penal Code states that harassment is any form of inappropriate obscene gestures, acts or words that offence others. Harassers will be punished with a term of imprisonment of not less than six months or a fine of EGP 3000-5000. However, harassment remains a broad term and a difficult act to prove.
“Article 242 of the penal code tackled FGM and ---- punishment but did not take into consideration repealing Article 61 which talks about a medical need for FGM, and other crimes of violence against women like denying her participation in decision making and public life,” Danbouqy said.
He also urged stipulation of new laws that regulate the implementation of laws when dealing with victims of harassment who face pressures. Danbouqy pointed that most investigators do not give an ear to the victim.
“I call for employing qualified policewomen in police stations who can listen to victims. I also urge stipulation of a law on domestic violence such that it includes articles on harassment, disinheriting women and FGM.”
Another lawyer, Ahmed Bahy, said: “The problem lies in the mechanisms of implementing the laws that already exist. For instance, Article 53 in the constitution, which deals with violence against women, is not yet put into effect yet. In general, violence is unacceptable against anyone, let alone women who are the core of the society and who bring up children. Religions respect women and forbid practicing violence against them as they are weaker than men.”