On International Women’s Day: Egyptian women in the forefront of celebrations

In a few days the world will celebrate International Women’s Day as a mark of respect and appreciation of women’s social, economic and political achievements. Meanwhile, Egyptian women are making history with their tremendous sacrifice for the sake of establishing democracy in their beloved country.

Over the past five years – after the Egyptian revolution – Egyptian women actively practiced their right to protest and expressing their opinion with their participation in all demonstrations and rallies, despite barbaric attacks by policemen and thugs. They actively participated in all free and fair elections, as both voters and candidates and they stood steadfast in the face of a ferocious military coup.

Post the 3rd of July military coup, the world witnessed unprecedented numbers of Egyptian women killed, forcibly disappeared, physically and emotionally tortured, detained and sexually harassed and assaulted. In addition to women’s sacrifice on a personal level, they also sacrifice with their detained relatives both financially and emotionally by facing an oppressive prison authority during visits to their relatives.

It is for these tremendous sacrifices that Egyptian women are making history and paving the way to a democratic civil Egyptian state.

The Egyptian Revolutionary Council honors Egyptian women who stood, and will continue to stand in the face of tyranny and military dictatorship, notwithstanding its appalling oppressive measures to break them or silence them.

In this regard, Dr Maha Azzam, head of the ERC, said, “Egyptian women have been at the forefront of the struggle against dictatorship since the coup of 2013. They have represented a major challenge to a military fascist regime and set an example for generations to come of their key role in fighting for their country’s freedom”.