During the first quarter of the year, a series of training sessions and meetings were held with various representatives of University Units as part of the ongoing partnership between UNFPA and the National Council for Women (NCW). The aim is to expand and strengthen the response of existing “Anti-Violence against Women University Units” with the support of USAID.
The initial training round targeted representatives from Helwan University, Port-Said East Technology University, Port-Said Public University, Bani Sueif University, and Arish University.
The training format is designed around the Women Empowerment 2030 National Strategy, recent national research results, and previous achievements by University Units. It is also tailored to meet the specific needs of each campus and serves as an important opportunity to consider on-campus and external coordination, as well as the role of the Units in raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls.
The previous period witnessed an increased presence of the University Units to reach a total of 40 Universities in Egypt, each campus offering safe reporting channels for women to come forward with any incident of sexual violence or abuse. NCW has provided instrumental support to each campus in developing their internal reporting channels and universities’ committees, and it offers regular capacity-building workshops in partnership with UNFPA on the latest procedures and priority areas in GBV response.
During each meeting, University unit representatives discussed the direct referral channels to University Hospitals with “Safe Women clinics” to local Women’s Complaints Offices, shelters, civil society, and legal services. Meetings are also an opportunity to present the latest legislative procedures on GBV crimes, women’s health updates, and the scope of the multi-sectoral response. University representatives also presented their annual plans and areas of priority, and also the role of Units in offering female victims of GBV immediate psychological support and information on additional services available.
