Clinton: "Women in Egypt and Tunisia have just as much right as the men to remake their governments
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
The Hague, 10th March 2011
Clinton: “Women in Egypt and Tunisia have just as much right as the men to remake their governments - to make them responsive, accountable, transparent."
Gender Concerns International supports the Condemnation of Egyptian Women’s Coalition against violence and discrimination against women on 08th March in Cairo
Earlier in an immediate response, the Coalition of Egyptian Feminist Organizations strongly condemned the events on 8th March when women demonstrators at Tahrir Square were subjected to verbal abuse, sexual harassment and physical violence by a group of regressive men. Gender Concerns International calls for solidarity and support for women’s representatives and women’s rights activist in the region to acknowledge and respect women’s right to democracy and political participation!
Please see below the official statement by the Coalition of Egyptian Feminist Organizations:
Statement
Coalition of Egyptian Feminist Organizations
The Coalition of Egyptian Feminist Organizations, participating in the women’s march on Women’s Day 8 March, condemns yesterday’s infamous actions against the participants in the march. The women participants were subjected to verbal abuse, sexual harassment and physical violence by a group of regressive men, in their attempt at scaring women off the street. Women have played an active role in street protest and the public space in general, where they have been visibly active as a political, national and patriotic force, within the national political movement for the past few years – a presence that has effectively revealed itself within the Egyptian People’s Revolution.
Yesterday, the march included hundreds of women and scores of supportive men, walking from the steps of the Press Syndicate through the streets of downtown Cairo, reaching Tahrir Square at approximately 3pm. The participants then stood on the pavement, and got involved in a constructive dialogue about issues of citizenship, discrimination and social justice. At around 5:30pm, the participants were faced with acts of verbal abuse, sexual harassment and physical assault, employing familiar political tactics of the former regime: an extremist religious discourse, and thuggery.
Therefore, we wish to state the following:
1- Our right to a secure presence in the streets of our country, without being subjected to any form of threat or assault on our right to peaceful presence and freedom of expression in the public space.
2- Our awareness of the counter-revolutionary schemes and courses of action taken by the remnants of the fallen regime.
3- We call upon the military forces to take immediate and serious action against all forms of thuggery, and putting those criminals to trial for their crimes.
4- We express our support for the new Cabinet, and we call upon the government to urge the patriotic elements in the police force to go back to their work in the streets of Egypt, and ensure the safety and security of the people. We also consider such criminal regressive acts as an attempt to discredit the efforts of the new Cabinet and to weaken our national process towards realizing the goals of the revolution, which include ensuring citizenship rights to all Egyptians without any form of gender, religious, ethnic or ideological discrimination.
Long live the Egyptian People’s Revolution
Long live freedom, justice and equality
Signatories:
- New Woman Foundation
- Women and Memory Forum
- Center of Egyptian Women Legal Aid
- El Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
- Alliance of Arab Women - Egyptian Association for Family Development - “Nazra” Association for Feminist Studies - “Ommi” Association for Rights and Development - “Heya” Foundation - Cairo Institute for Development - The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights- Helwan Foundation for Community Development (Bashayer)
For further information please contact:
Phone: 00 31 (070) 4445082 Mobile: 0653965784
Laan van Meerdervoort 70 2517 AN, The Hague
Email: philipp@genderconcerns.org Site: http://www.genderconcerns.org
Philipp Schulz
Gender Concerns International
- Women’s Forum for Developmen
- Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT)
Gender Concerns International, after a successful launch of its new ‘Alert 2011: Women for Transformation’ Campaign on 08th March 2011, fully endorses the call Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made, insisting that it is “time to let women make decisions, too”. Addressing an event on 8th March, Clinton said that the United States “will stand firmly for the proposition that women must be included in whatever process goes forward”, and that “no government can succeed if it excludes half of its people from important decisions”. To ensure that future governance structures in the countries concerned are responsive, accountable and transparent, women need to be included as reported by Washington Post on 08th of March.
Sabra Bano, Director of Gender Concerns International, highlighted the importance of Clinton’s statement by saying that “at a time when female participation in constitutional reforms and governance structures seems to be at stake in Egypt and Tunisia as conservative forces are trying to gain visibility by targeting women activists demanding their democratic and human rights to be respected and acknowledged, Secretary Clinton’s remarks are valued highly. With this timely statement, Clinton has shown solidarity to the women’s rights activists in the region and sent a strong message to those who control power and exercise authority to ensure that men and women need to be treated with equality in self-expression and own movement”. In a telephone conversation with Dr. Amal Hadi of the Egyptian Women’s Coalition, Bano reassured her of support for the women in Egypt and the wider region by confirming that her organization will draw the attention of the EU and the international community to the statement of the Women’s Coalition.