13 - 19 December 2001
Issue No.564
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 13 - 19 December 2001 Issue No.564 |
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Interceding for change
Reem Leila finds that, while Egyptian women are plagued by old problems, new solutions are in the works
As far as women's rights are concerned, the Egyptian government believes its role must encompass the promotion of an "enabling environment" within which women, individually and collectively, can pursue their objectives. There are fundamental tasks that only governments can undertake to advance women's welfare. To this end, for a number of years, but with additional intensity in the past decade, Egypt has been engaged in reforms to enhance women's status. The state has also been taking particular interest in the specific problems that affect women's participation in problem-solving, at both individual and social levels.
Based on this task-oriented approach, Egypt, in cooperation with the European Union (EU), will create a special office devoted to problems facing Egyptian women. The ombudsman centre, an independent entity under the umbrella of the National Council for Women (NCW), will be the first of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East.
This representative office will be responsible for monitoring and promoting Egypt's women's rights record. It is designed to prevent rights violations and abuse of power, address injustices and draw attention to errors in legal implementation and administration of matters pertaining to women. According to the EU's principal administrator, Richard Granville, an ombudsman is a problem-solving office with a difference, since its responsibility is to solve women's problems "in a non-adversarial manner." The ombudsman officer should report findings to the relevant authorities, which must then cooperate in solving the problems at hand. An ombudsman, while enjoying broad powers to investigate problems and their causes, "will rely on partnership with civil society organisations and various ministries to create an effective referral system," besides assessing the office's performance. "The ombudsman will be able to evaluate his or her own effectiveness in dealing with social, economic, and legal problems affecting Egyptian women, especially those requiring policy change, law enforcement, or awareness of rights and duties. The ombudsman centre has proven very successful at the national level, and exists in approximately 110 countries worldwide," says Granville.
Services targeting women demand thoroughgoing reorganisation, as Farkhonda Hassan, secretary-general of the NCW, notes, and "meaningful reform requires essential, bold, and creative changes. This is why the ombudsman's office is going to be created." At first, the office will be located in the NCW's headquarters and branches throughout the country; "when it proves its success, it will establish an independent place through which to exercise its functions," adds Hassan.
Of course, this does not mean that women should relinquish responsibility for their own destiny in the hope that the state will address all their concerns. Hassan explains that women must work on "expanding their participation in prosperity and improving their living conditions through productive endeavours." The traditional approach to development initiatives has depended on outside consultants who assess needs; interventions have been based on the results of that estimation. The traditional approach, however, is flawed because it requires to little input and participation from the intended beneficiaries. Development professionals are coming to realise that the most effective way to make lasting change is to involve community members in projects from their inception. This means involvement in every phase of the project, ensuring that programs meet the real needs of the Egyptian community, and not just needs projected onto the community by advisers who may know little about it. Involving the beneficiaries promotes sustainability by creating a sense of ownership among the community, and thereby generating enthusiasm for a project's adoption and implementation.
In the case of the ombudsman project, a development team made up of representatives from NGOs and ministries will help determine the problems facing women. According to Iman Baibars, who is responsible for the ombudsman centre in Egypt and is one of the founders of the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW), this team will "create an opportunity for all women in the country to express their grievances, aspirations and complaints, as well as voice their opinions on current issues and policies affecting their lives. The centre's role is to raise awareness of these issues and create a channel that links Egyptian women's voice to decision makers," says Baibars.
The EU and the Scandinavian countries will finance the project for a decade at least, Baibars explains. "When people become familiar with the idea of the ombudsman and start believing in it, we are expecting donations from the Egyptian business community." The EU has already offered 600,000 Euro as a first step; the principal administrator has promised that more funds will be forthcoming by mid- December, and the Scandinavian countries are expected to provide funds by the end of this year. The anticipated budget has been set at $7 million, but this figure to very likely to increase in time, as the range of services offered by the ombudsman expands, Baibars revealed.
By the beginning of 2002, the project will be up and rolling. It will operate through a toll-free hotline, staffed by trained volunteers who will receive and classify complaints. All women have to do is dial the ombudsman's number and report their problems. Baibars believes that the majority of complaints will relate to poverty, incest, unemployment, health and legal matters.
"Highly qualified physicians, lawyers, psychiatrists will be on call 24 hours a day, and their services will be available for free to whoever needs them," explained Baibars. The office will also be attempting to increase employment opportunities, and development officials anticipate that its sphere of activities will also extend to the provision of small loans or grants as well as assistance with setting up small businesses. "The ombudsman will help women secure their legal, political, educational, social, health and economic rights. It will protect them from abuse, violence and discrimination. Additionally, it will provide advice and counseling," Baibars added.
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