the murder of a student illustrates the “sharp increase” in violence against women

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Two murders and one suicide. In all three cases, the victims are harassed women. Their death has aroused great emotion in Egypt where gender-based violence is on the increase, as highlighted in a recent report published by an NGO.

The murder of Nayera Ashraf on June 19 caused shock in Egypt. The 21-year-old student was stabbed several times in broad daylight outside her university in Mansoura, 150 kilometers north of Cairo. Images of the scene were posted on the internet. The author is none other than a classmate who could not stand her rejecting his advances and his marriage proposal. He was sentenced to death for “premeditated murder”. The victim had filed several handrails after being threatened and harassed.

(Translation: “The problem of the Arab world.”)

Another feminicide also took place in June. This time it is a 42-year-old journalist. Shaima Gamal was found buried in a villa several days after her disappearance. Her husband, a magistrate, is now the main suspect. He was arrested following the testimony of a man who admitted having “participated” to murder. The case, which has not yet been judged, caused a stir in Egypt with, as with every tragedy, comments on social networks demanding that justice be done.

(Translation: “We demand justice for Shaima Gamal.”)

The third victim of gender-based violence is a high school student. Basant Khaled, 17, committed suicide last January after fake naked photos were posted online. An absolute disgrace in a particularly conservative society. The photomontage and blackmail were the work of a teenager who wanted to date her. Last March, he was given a five-year suspended prison sentence by the courts. This tragedy has also aroused a wave of indignation in Egypt where violence against women is “significant increase”as highlighted in a study by the Edraak Foundation for Development and Equality.

(Translation: “Egyptian girls are oppressed. (…) They live in fear and submission. #JusticeForBasantKhaled.”)

More than 800 gender-based crimes were committed in 2021 in Egypt. A figure that has doubled compared to the previous year. The tally includes murders, attempted murders, assault and battery, harassment and suicides.

Despite the widespread violence against women and girls in Egypt, the authorities still do not take adequate measures to prevent it, and judicial investigations are not satisfactory, according to Amnesty International. Worse, women who campaign against gender-based violence are arrested, accused of defamation and arbitrarily detained, the organization notes.


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