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Egypt: Women's Organizations
Egypt: Women's Organizations
Date distributed (ymd): 990921
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: North Africa
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +economy/development+
+gender/women+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a press release from the Egyptian
Organisation for Human Rights and seven other Egyptian groups,
protesting government restrictions on women's organizations.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Note: Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi, mentioned in the press release, is
also the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction works,
including the most recent volume of her autobiography
(Daughter of Isis, ISBN: 1856496805), Memoirs of a Woman
Doctor (ISBN: 0872862232), and The Nawal El Saadawi Reader
(ISBN: 1856495140).
For convenient access to purchase books by El-Saadawi (and
selected other African authors) at Amazon.com, go to
http://www.africapolicy.org/books/afwrit.htm
Purchases through these links will bring a 5% referral fee
from Amazon to APIC, at no additional cost to you.
If you know the ISBN number of any book in any field you wish
to purchase from Amazon, you can obtain a 15% referral fee for
APIC, again at no additional cost to you, by going to:
http://www.africapolicy.org/books/asin.htm
Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights
September 2, 1999
Press Release 153/1999
Women and the challenges of Law
The stance of the Ministry of Social Affairs regarding the
attempt to establish the Egyptian Women's Union, based on the
initiative of Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi, was nothing but a warning
sign that reveals the true intentions behind the issuance of
Law 153 of 1999. The Ministry's statement asserts that there
is no room for anyone wanting to establish an organisation
that does not subject itself to the control of the
administration. This law is but a poor attempt from the
administration to cover in the form of a law the real and ugly
image of governmental control. This has been exemplified by
the following facts:
Firstly, a preliminary committee was formed to discuss the
establishment of Egypt's Women's Union. This committee was
headed by Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi, who met with Minister Dr.
Mervat Tellawi on 19 June 1999. Dr. Tellawi expressed her
support of the initiative to establish a union for women's
NGOs working in the fields of women, family and social
development. Based on the initial approval by the Minister, a
meeting was set for 27th June. The committee invited women's
associations taken from a list released by the general
administrator of the associations in the ministry, stating the
names of 21 associations working in the area of women, to
attend the meeting. Promptly after Dr. Saadawi had invited
representatives from these women's associations, a number of
letters (#936, 1123 and 1223) were received from the President
of the General Council highlighting the Ministry's position
with regards to independent activity.
The letters stated the following:
- The invitation to a meeting to discuss the establishment of
a women's union is an unlawful one because it is not
permissible to invite associations to attend a meeting unless
the invitation is issued by regional unions or the general
union.
- The concept of "establishment" only means the presentation
of documentation, illustrations and guidelines.
- There is no field of work or activity called the field of
women.
- A group that is working close to the ministry is making
efforts to establish a specialised union for associations
working in the field of women and it is not permissible for
more than one specialised union to be established in the
country for the same activity.
- The law requires the postponement of the establishment of
the union until after the guidelines and modifications to the
organisation of these associations are made.
The truly surprising aspect is the condescending manner of
these letters and the blatant contradiction they show. When
the applicant is someone the ministry does not approve of, it
states that there is no field of work called the field of
women, and when the applicant is someone that the ministry
approves it states that there is indeed a field of work for
women.
The government's mentality that is responsible for the law
organising the work of non-governmental organisations is
unable to acknowledge that it is the right of citizens to meet
and discuss their lawful aims, and that the aim to establish
a union of women is indeed a lawful one. Thus, meeting in
order to discuss the matter is legitimate and there is no law
that restricts the individual from inviting representatives of
some associations to meet.
This bureaucratic mentality, which is focused on the idea of
gaining permission to exercise freedom, is incapable of
imagining that a citizen would dare to take any action without
taking the consent of the government. Until this way of
thinking gains a lawful cover for its domineering nature,
there is no objection to restricting the concept of
establishment to that of the presentation of documentation and
guidelines, which in fact is only the final stage of the
process. This is done in order to obtain approval from the
administration to exercise one's constitutional rights. This
reasoning totally ignores the fact that, in order to present
guidelines or other documentation, several meetings and
preliminary sessions are required to formulate these
guidelines, and this is the essence of the process of
establishment.
That logic also ignores that the law regulating the work of
NGOs is active on the day after its publication, i.e. starting
from 28th May 1999. Thus, it is incorrect for the law to
require the postponement of the establishment of the union
until after the executive guidelines of the law are issued
based on the following legal considerations:
- The law should not affect the process of establishment of
any new associations, organisations or unions. According to
the law, the only process that should be postponed is that
which entails improving conditions within, noting that this
process only applies to organisations or associations whose
systems do not meet the conditions specified in the new law.
- Using the logic of this law, it is assumed that the
associations and civic organisations that do not have these
problems should not be affected in any way whatsoever. The
process of improving conditions should not affect any
organisation's legal status, for it is still a legal entity
that has its individual authorities.
However, the most astonishing remark remains that there is no
field or scope of activity that concerns women. Indeed, it is
extremely difficult to imagine any kind of civic or voluntary
activity that does not include room for women. Even if this
were true, that does not mean that this field should be
marginalised, underestimated, or restricted. Certainly this
would disclaim the law itself, which stated in article 11 that
associations working for the development of society can resume
their activities in various fields as long as they function
according to the executive guidelines and seek the approval of
the specific unions and that of the managerial body.
By looking further into this article, it becomes clear that
the associations are given freedom when it comes to selecting
their cause and scope of activities. However, what the new law
targets is duplication and multiplicity. Ultimately, the goal
is the development of society and women constitute nearly
fifty per cent of this society that we seek to develop and
nurture. Hence denying the role of women's groups under the
new law would contradict this higher goal, on which both the
government and the civic community have agreed. In addition,
going public with the intention to establish a union for
women's associations does not go against the essence of the
new law, which requires that there be at least ten private
existing associations during the transitional phase.
It is apparent from the correspondence of the preparatory
committee that the public announcement of this new union will
not happen until after the executive guidelines are issued and
the associations start to modify their organisational
structures. The preparatory committee has set a meeting for
26th December 1999 to finish up the process. This date was
selected taking into account the deadline for the issuance of
the executive guidelines. An important point that should not
be overlooked is the fat that under article 64 of the new law,
associations and civic institutions are given the right to
establish amongst them unions of a specialised nature or along
regional lines having nominal significance. This is governed
by certain guidelines whereby the specialised union must be
made up of the associations and civic organisations that work
together or finance common activities in a certain field,
whether on the national or governorate level.
The Minister's statements are clearly contradictory and full
of double standards. While Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi was being
subjected to fierce accusations, the minister was making
public statements to the effect that the Ministry of Social
Affairs had received applications from over two hundred civil
associations requesting the establishment of an
activity-specific union on a nation-wide level. The minister
also stated that the ministry was in fact seriously
considering the issue and that, in effect, those applicants
had priority in initiating the establishment of such a union,
making it unlawful for anyone else to do so because the
establishment of more than one union within the same field on
a national level was not legitimate.
The undersigned human rights organisations have the following
questions:
- The minister justified her refusal of the meeting of 22nd
May 1999 on the grounds that the associations invited had not
yet completed the process of adapting their organisations to
the new law. This process is pending upon the issuance of the
executive guidelines, yet how is it possible for more than two
hundred associations to modify their organisations in the
absence of these guidelines?
- Using the same reasoning, how could it be possible to give
these associations priority in establishing an encompassing
union while at the same time forbidding the associations
attempting the establishment of the Egyptian Women's
Association from doing so? It should be noted that their
initiative goes back several months and it was approved by the
minister and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
- It is also highly questionable that over two hundred
associations managed to have the same idea, met and discussed
this initiative in a record time, giving them priority in
establishing the union. It is only logical that there was a
party that initiated the contacts and co-ordinated between
these numerous organisations on all logistical matters, e.g.
correspondence, preliminary meetings, coming to mutual
agreement on basic issues, improving organisational structure,
etc. What is this party's legal standing? Who was behind this
initiative? Using the same argument as the President of the
General Council, wasn't this initiative by over two hundred
associations that had not completed the revision of their
organisational structures an illegitimate one, and one that
was premature?
Moving on to the issue of the Arab Women's Solidarity
Association that exists under the United Nations Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC), this group has been given more of a
consultant classification. The reason for this was the
international standing of the association, based on the
decision of the Council in its regular round in the year 1985.
The association was given approval by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and remained active, proceeding with its international
meetings in Cairo with the approval of the Administration of
International Associations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It also continued its activities in Egypt and the Arab World
after its branch in Egypt was closed on 15th June 1999. This
branch used the name of the main association, as do the other
association offices. The Arab Women's Solidarity Association
also held its 5th International Conference in Cairo in October
1997, with the approval of the official bodies. This official
standing of the association has no bearing on any of its local
offices in Arab countries, including Egypt. Also, the shutting
down of the association's Egyptian office does not affect the
main association in any way, nor does it affect its presence
or activities. More importantly, Law 153 of 1999 allows
international associations that operate more like consultants
to assume the activities of associations. This is based on the
classification of these associations as international civic
organisations.
Based on what we have presented the human rights organisations
renew their doubts and fears regarding the legitimacy of the
new law. Human rights organisations are also concerned about
the intentions of the ministry, and the way in which it deals
with institutions it does not want to see established. The
ministry also insists on using the law for political
considerations, something that contradicts with the minister's
statements before and after the issuance of the law asserting
that no institution or association will be barred from
activity or from being established unless for legal
considerations.
The undersigned organisations and all other human rights and
civil society associations renew their demand that the
constitutional loopholes and the undemocratic nature of the
new law be reconsidered. It is imperative that the law is
re-evaluated on more democratic grounds to include the whole
of civil society in Egypt, acknowledging that it is the basis
of civil and voluntary activity for the new millennium.
- Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal
Profession
- Group for Democratic Development
- Human Rights Centre for the Assistance of Prisoners
- Hisham Mubarak Centre for Law
- Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence
- Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights
Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR)
8/10 Mathaf El-Manyal Street, 10th Floor,
Manyal El-Roda, Cairo, Egypt
Telephone: +20-(2)-363 68 11; +20-(2)-362 04 67
Facsimile: +20-(2)-362 1613
E-Mail: eohr@link.com.eg or eohr@idsc.gov.eg
Home Page: http://www.eohr.org.eg
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary
objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States
around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by
concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant
information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and
individuals.
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