Egypt introduces 1st psychotherapy clinic dedicated to abused women dubbed 'Safe Woman Clinic'

CAIRO – 19 April 2022: The Ministry of Health and Population announced Tuesday that Egypt's first psychotherapy clinic dedicated to abused women has been inaugurated in Cairo's Ahalina neighborhood, encompassing residential units that were granted to slum dwellers.

The "Safe Woman Clinic" is planned to be replicated in 21 other neighborhoods as a first phase in 2022, and nationwide in coming years. The clinic provides first aid in case of injury, psychological counseling and therapy as well as self-defense techniques.   

The ministry announced earlier in April that 23,906,809 females were screened for breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity since the launching of the Women Health Initiative in July 2019.

The service is offered to females aged above 18 at 3,538 healthcare units, and 114 hospitals nationwide. As for those diagnosed with breast cancer, they can receive free of charge treatment at 14 university hospitals, and 14 centers affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Population.  

The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) published in 2021 data on women empowerment in Egypt focusing on political, economic, and social aspects as well as security.

The data are derived from the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 whereas Egypt ranked 134 out of 153 countries measured going up by one place compared to 2018. The progress is due to bridging 62.9 percent of the gap between genders. As such, it ranked eighth in the Middle East and North Africa.

Egypt has 48.7 million women. It ranks 102nd in terms of education among women; 103rd in women political empowerment; 140th in women economic empowerment; and, 85th in women health. 

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the drop in unemployed females recorded 16.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to 22.7 percent in the same period in 2019.

Women compose 24 percent of the Cabinet as there are 8 female ministers out of 33. As for the House of Representatives, women are allocated by the constitution a minimum of 162 seats (28.5%) out of 568 seats. The constitution also allocates women a minimum of 10 percent of the 300 seats in the Senate.