The elimination of all forms of discrimination between citizens, and the promotion of equality between men and women in all civil, political, economic, social and cultural arenas has become a subject repeatedly brought to the Egyptian legislator's attention in recent years. A result of this has been the issuance of supporting legislation, and the implementation of the principles of equality, justice and equal opportunities as originally stipulated in the Constitution. Alongside the legislators, key sociopolitical stakeholders have taken numerous measures to actualize the enactment of legislation that would in turn empower the role of women in society.

Examples of this include:

  • Passing Law no. 177 for 2020, Criminal Procedure – encouraging women to report crimes of harassment and assault by not revealing the identity of the victim, as many previously feared reporting such crimes since there was no such prohibition to protect their identity;
  • Passing Law no. 189 of 2020, Penal Code – criminalizing any exploitation of a woman's including acts which could be considered degrading or bullying.
  • Law no. 6 of 2020 – imposing penalties of imprisonment and fines to act as an additional deterent to harassers.
  • Amending Article 306 of Penal Code – categorizing the crime of sexual harassment as a felony instead of a misdemeanor, and increasing the penalty if the crime is committed by someone who has occupational, familial or educational authority over the victim.

Additional Supplementary Support:

  • Law no. 200 of 2020 – providing care and financial assistance to women with disabilities by establishing a fund for such purpose.
  • Law no. 201 of 2020 – supporting  micro-enterprises and providing  substantially more job opportunities for women (63% of women with micro-enterprises have already benefitted from this initiative).

This article sheds light on the practical steps being taken to ensure that women's rights are protected by state legislation which unequivocally recognizes their contribution and importance within society. This will in turn lead to a more prosperous nation which benefits from its entire population.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.