By Manal Abdel Fattah
Dr. Maya Morsy, President of the National Council for Women, received Ambassador Eric Chevalier, Ambassador of France to Egypt, and Ms. Christine Arab, representative of UN Women in Egypt, with the aim of discussing the new partnership with the Government of France and UN Women in Egypt, to support national efforts to establish a “combined unit to protect… “Women from Violence.” Through this partnership, the Egyptian government will enhance access to these units for women and girls with disabilities who have been exposed to violence.
Dr. Maya Morsi expressed her great happiness with the new partnership with the Government of France and UN Women in Egypt to support national efforts to confront the challenges that women and girls face when reporting cases of violence, through the “Combined Unit for the Protection of Women from Violence” and support in enhancing access to women and girls with disabilities. disability in those units, stressing the Egyptian state’s interest in women’s issues in general, and women with disabilities, in addition to the Council’s interest in integrating women with disabilities into all its activities and programs aimed at advancing Egyptian women in all aspects of the National Strategy for Empowering Egyptian Women 2030.
She explained that the new partnership includes the National Council for Women working to develop a methodology to evaluate the extent to which the unit’s structure and services respond to the needs of women and girls with disabilities. The Cairo unit is currently being prepared to ensure equitable access for them.
For his part, Ambassador Eric Chevalier, French Ambassador to Egypt, explained: “Combating violence against women and providing support to survivors is a priority for France’s feminist diplomacy, as France is proud to continue consolidating its strong and fruitful partnerships with UN Women and the National Council for Women for the sake of all Egyptian women and girls.” , especially women with disabilities.
In her speech, Christine Arab, representative of UN Women in Egypt, said: “UN Women has worked extensively to support the provision of basic services to women and girls who have been exposed to violence through the development of the combined unit to protect women from violence” in different countries, by By using a survivor-centred approach.
Christine expressed UN Women’s pride in working closely with the National Council for Women and the Government of France not only to support the development and operation of the “Combined Unit for the Protection of Women from Violence” in Cairo, but also to facilitate the access of women with disabilities to the unit’s services.
It is worth noting that the establishment of the “Combined Unit to Protect Women from Violence” was announced in 2021 by a decision of the Council of Ministers, which included the establishment of a pilot unit in Cairo, and its replication in other governorates to enhance coordination of response and referral services.
In implementation of the Prime Minister’s decision to establish the Combined Unit for the Protection of Women from Violence in Cairo, the National Council for Women will coordinate and provide services related to submitting reports to the police, legal and medical aid, forensic services, and temporary hosting centers for women and girls who are survivors of violence.
This comes within the framework of addressing the challenges that women usually face when reporting cases of violence, as they are often required to go several places to reach service providers. In addition to managing the logistics of movement and communication outside their communities. As for women and girls with disabilities, the process of accessing basic services is more complex.
The efforts of this partnership are being implemented within the framework of the National Strategy for Empowering Egyptian Women 2030.
