Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) launched on Monday the 16 Days of the campaign of activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), as millions around the world mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

This year’s campaign will focus on female genital mutilation (FGM).

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated on 25 November each year to raise awareness about the different manifestations of violence women are being subjected to around the world.

The United Nations’ 2019 theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is ‘Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape.’

(Photo: UN)

Maya Morsi, the head of the NCW, said that this year the council is looking to shed the light on "eliminating FGM as a form of GBV" as part of the ‘National Strategy to Combat all Forms of Violence against Women’ and the ‘National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030.’

Morsi explained that during the 16 days, the council will be organising a number of events in different governorates to raise awareness about the psychological and physical damage caused by FGM and by violence against women in general.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign initiated by activists at the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991.

The campaign kicks off on 25 November and ends on 10 December, which is international Human Rights Day.

CAPMAS releases data

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) issued a press release revealing different GBV indicators in Egypt as well as the country’s efforts to eliminate violence against women.

The statement highlights some of the key findings of the Economic Cost of Gender Based Violence Survey Egypt 2015.

Some of these findings include:

- Nine in 10 Egyptian women aged 18-64 have undergone FGM.

- More than one quarter of Egyptian women aged 18-64 were married before reaching the age of 18.

- 46 percent of ever-married Egyptian women aged 18-64 have experienced some form of spousal violence (43 percent reported having been subjected to emotional abuse, 32 percent to physical violence and 12 percent to sexual abuse)

- Around 18 percent of women aged 18-64 in Egypt had experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 18 at the hands of family members.

- Women below 35 years old and women from Lower Egypt (particularly rural areas) are the most likely to experience multiple forms of violence.