Women's movement calls for anti-harassment march

Thursday 06-09-2012 06:44 PM
Women's movement calls for anti-harassment march

An anti-sexual harassment poster - Facebook

A new Egyptian women’s movement announced that it will begin its activities by organizing an anti-harassment march that calls for a law that criminalizes the use of violence against women.  

The movement, that goes by the name "The Egyptian Women's Front", has garnered the support of many political parties including Tagamoa, Al-Wafd, the Nasserist, Egyptian Democratic, Free Egyptians, Popular Coalition and Al-Ghad parties.

The movement also garnered the support of the women rights coalition, the Creativity Front and a number of organizations dedicated to women rights and young movements and initiatives.

One of the founders, Hoda Badran, said that there has been social pressure on women recently, starting with excluding them from leadership positions and preventing them from participating in the building of the country's future.

She pointed to last week's governmental reshuffle where not one woman was appointed governor.

Badran, Secretary General of the Arab Women Coalition, said that popular women rights movements are currently trying to pressure the new administration to preserve women rights.

She argued that there are female leaders in every field in Egypt.

"The democratic path staggers in states where women are marginalized", Badran said, pointing to efforts of the new administration to marginalize women.

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