Rights group condemns "assaults" on nurses in Port Said

Wednesday 03-04-2013 03:08 PM
Rights group condemns

An archive photo of women nurses protesting for security in Kafr Al-Shaikh. Aswat Masriya

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An Egyptian rights group condemned on Wednesday what it described as "continuous sexual and physical assaults" on nurses in some hospitals of Port Said.

Nazra, a feminist studies non-governmental organization (NG)), has monitored the progress of social violence cases, associating it with a general state of lawlessness and the absence of political will to address the problem, said a statement it issued on Wednesday.

The rights group documented video testimonies of nurses where they described the violations they were subjected to while practicing their jobs.

The NGO linked these violations to a negative attitude towards working women, saying they are viewed as inferior to men.

"One of the patients took off his clothes and chased after one of the nurses in the hospital corridors, threatening to rape her in front of everyone," said the statement accounting to a nurse's testimony.

Nurses also detailed narratives of being beaten by relatives of patients, for reasons such as the absence of doctors or accusations of theft.

The nurses complained about the minimal security provided and that hospital managements' rarely intervene or take any actions. 

Nazra called on the necessity to provide security to medics in public and private hospitals, stressing upon the importance of taking practical steps to stop sexual and physical assaults on nurses.

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