This is the sixth year that the NCW has marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by mounting a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.

“This year’s activities include workshops and seminars on the importance of combating violence against women and meetings with university students in order to raise their awareness about this pervasive problem,” said Amal Abdel-Moneim, head of NCW’s ombudsman office. The NCW is also distributing materials providing legal advice and dispatching convoys to 10 governorates to take part in a door-to-door campaign against FGM.

Activities also include a conference on legislative progress in combating violence against women, the presentation of a study on violence against women with disabilities, and the release of a new song by Nesma Mahgoub.

Throughout the 16-day campaign, the NCW’s headquarters and the Museum of Egyptian Civilisation are lit in orange, the colour the UN has chosen to represent a brighter future free from violence against women.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.