CAIRO – July 9, 2026
Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW), in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, has launched the second training workshop for Family Court judges under the theme “Best Practices in Family Justice to Protect Women’s Rights.” The initiative forms part of ongoing collaboration between the two institutions to strengthen family justice and enhance legal protections for women.
The workshop is held under the patronage of Counselor Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women, and Counselor Mahmoud Helmy El Sherif, Minister of Justice.
Organized by the NCW’s Legislative Committee in partnership with the National Center for Judicial Studies, the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights, Women and Children Sector, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the European Union, the program brings together 75 Family Court judges at the National Center for Judicial Studies.
Opening the workshop, Counselor Mahmoud El Sayed, Assistant Minister of Justice for the National Center for Judicial Studies, emphasized that first-instance judges are fundamental to Egypt’s justice system and highlighted the importance of continuous professional development to enhance judicial performance and ensure the effective administration of justice.
Counselor Rasha Mahfouz, Head of the Technical Office of the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights, Women and Children Sector, described best practices in family justice as a cornerstone of Egypt’s efforts to protect families and safeguard women’s rights. She outlined several ministry initiatives, including the establishment of a specialized administration for protecting women from violence, the activation of Women’s Support Offices within courts, and specialized judicial training programs. She also highlighted Minister of Justice Decree No. 896 of 2026, which provides for the suspension of certain government services and benefits for individuals who fail to comply with final court rulings on alimony payments.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the National Council for Women, Counselor Marwa Hisham Barakat, an NCW member, conveyed greetings from Counselor Amal Ammar and reaffirmed Egypt’s continued commitment to advancing women’s rights through legislative and institutional reforms. She stressed that Family Courts play a central role in protecting women and children and that strengthening judicial expertise contributes to implementing the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and enhancing legal protections against violence and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation.
The workshop also featured sessions on the National Council for Women’s legal, social, and psychological support services through its Women’s Complaints Office, judicial management of family disputes, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, evidentiary issues in family litigation, guardianship and financial custodianship, family maintenance cases, and judicial best practices.
In addition, Counselor Ahmed El Naggar, Legal Adviser to the NCW’s Violence Against Women Unit and Regional Adviser for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Arab States Regional Office, reviewed Egypt’s legal framework for combating violence against women and the country’s legislative and institutional developments in this field.
The workshop concluded with a session led by Counselor Ahmed Alaa El Din, Judge at the Court of Appeal and member of the NCW Legislative Committee, covering the legal framework governing guardianship, trusteeship, judicial assistance, powers of attorney for absent persons, and related family law provisions.
