ASMAA FATHÎ

Cairo- In recent years, Upper Egypt has witnessed many changes positively affecting its people because of the high rate of education and the cultural richness of the region. NuJINHA spoke to female lawyers actively working on women’s issues in Qena Governorate.

Visible changes

Lawyer at the Egyptian High Court of Appeal and State Council, Zainab Dunqul told us that there are more active women’s organizations in Lower Egypt than Upper Egypt although they need more women’s organizations in order to improve the conditions of women in Upper Egypt. “Most of women’s organizations are active in Cairo. They always hold courses and workshops for women and launch awareness-raising activities. They also carry out activities to eliminate gender-based violence and motivate women to go out and participate in social life. The changes in social and business life are visible. We can say that women have more rights compared to the past.”

There is no difference between girls and boys

Underling that there are many changes in all spheres of life, particularly in education of girls, Zainab Dunqul said, “Most of parents are influenced by the profile of successful women. For this reason, they want to send their daughters to school to be successful women. In the past, many parents wanted to have boys; however, this has changed. Now, parents want to have girls because they are aware that they can raise a girl who is capable of taking responsibility. They think there is no difference between girls and boys.”

Female genital mutilation

Stating that the National Council for Women (NCW) is active in Qena Governorate, Zainab Abbas, a volunteer lawyer at the National Council for Women, said that the council has the most prominent role in Upper Egypt. “The council has offices in many cities and provides legal support to women. It launches awareness-raising activities against gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation and many more.”

Zainab Abbas thinks the National Council for Women is the most important organization in Upper Egypt because of its activities and services provided by it. “It provides services for both women and men. But it has special committees for women. Each committee has a special system. There is no specialized organization working on women's issues in Qena Governorate. One of the concerns of the existing NGOs is working on women's issues.”