Team Europe, consisting of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the embassies of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Ireland in Egypt, GIZ, and the European Union, in collaboration with Tadwein for Gender Studies, hosted a significant event at the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Titled “From Awareness to Action: Understanding and Combatting Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG),” the event focused on raising awareness about various forms of violence against women and girls, with a particular emphasis on technology-facilitated violence (TFV) and acid attacks. It brought together Egyptian government representatives, members of parliament, and key civil society organizations committed to addressing this pressing issue.
Team Europe supports numerous programs aimed at promoting women’s empowerment and combating violence against women and girls in Egypt, often in collaboration with national partners. Tadwein for Gender Studies, a prominent feminist organization in Egypt, played a central role in organizing the event. The organization works to produce feminist knowledge and implement programs focused on ending violence against women and girls.
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally, with an estimated 736 million women affected by intimate partner or non-partner violence at least once in their lives. In Egypt, this issue is particularly pervasive, impacting millions of women and girls across all demographics.
Despite efforts from the Egyptian government and civil society organizations to tackle this problem, significant challenges remain, and further action is needed to combat the issue effectively. The event aimed to highlight the urgency of the situation while promoting discussions on actionable solutions.
The event featured a series of short talks by feminist activists addressing the growing issue of technology-facilitated violence. A discussion with government officials, a representative from Ahl-Masr (a leading civil society organization that founded Egypt’s largest trauma and burn hospital), and a survivor of an acid attack. This session underscored the physical and psychological trauma caused by acid attacks, stressing the need for justice, support, and rehabilitation for survivors.
The event also included a screening of the Egyptian award-winning film Samar Before the Final Picture, directed by Aya Youssef, which powerfully depicted the experiences of acid attack survivors in Egypt.
The event concluded with a captivating performance by the Shamandura folkloric dance group, which artistically interpreted the event’s theme, offering a moving cultural expression of the fight against gender-based violence.
This event served as a crucial step in raising awareness, fostering dialogue, and galvanizing further efforts to combat violence against women and girls in Egypt.
