President Sisi pardons 85 indebted women, men to be released from prison ahead of Ramadan

CAIRO – 20 March 2023: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced, Monday several decisions supporting women along with pardoning 85 indebted women and men from the reform and rehabilitation centers of the Interior Ministry ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

This came during 2023 ceremony to honor Egyptian women and ideal mothers attended by Egypt’s First lady Intisar el Sisi along with several minsters, officials and prominent women figures in all sectors.

In his speech during the ceremony, Sisi gave directives to Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik to provide all the necessary procedures along with financial aid to the families of the released indebted women and men during the holy month of Ramadan.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi also congratulated the Egyptian women on their day and all Egyptians on the occasion of the holy month of Ramdan

He added: “Some people think that I am biased towards women, I am not, but I try to achieve justice in society by giving back to women their rights”

He noted that all society should ‘try to be fair to the role that women play within the Egyptian community.’

Sisi affirmed that the Egyptian women have always played a great role in protecting the country, ‘whether during June 30, different conflicts, wars and even during the economic crisis.’

He stressed that: “Society, education and all morals are built on the 'shoulders of Egyptian women'’

President Sisi issued during the ceremony several decisions regarding women, including:

- Directing the government to expand training programs in fields of technology, digitization, with the aim of increasing opportunities for women's representation and participation in job opportunities

-Directing the government to support the legislative and institutional environment for small and micro projects related to women to facilitate the procedures of banking, and to encourage women’s projects

-Directing the government to follow up the index of ‘equal pay’ between the two women and men, and to take the necessary measures to ensure the sustainability of the improvement in this indicator

- Directing that women should be represent in the boards of directors of public bodies, business sector companies and their subsidiaries

- Sisi also directs to increase the number of training programs for women to qualify them to assume senior positions in the country

President Sisi highlighted the ‘personal status law’ along with the currently-being-discussed in the parliament ‘Family Support Fund’ low project.

Sisi said that the government is keen that the awaited 'personal status law' be balanced when issued. He also noted that the state seeks to address all of the countries' social problems.

President Sisi stressed that aim of documenting divorce same as documenting marriage legally, is to protect society and protect the Egyptian family.

In this regard, Egypt’s Minister of Justice Omar Marawan said that the average of annual divorce rate in Egypt is 3%, not 34%, as was previously rumored.

He also affirmed that the sums that will be paid to the ‘Family Support Fund’ will be very cheap, and that it won’t be an obstacle for any Egyptian family, regardless their social statues level.

During the celebration ceremony President Sisi and his spouse Intisar al Sisi stood for a photo-op with a number of role models of Egyptian women.

This came during the 2023 ceremony to honor Egyptian women and ideal mothers, held at the Manara International Conferences Center in New Cairo.

Sisi granted certificates of appreciation and Order of the Virtue to ideal mothers and some respectable ladies.

The ceremony was attended by Senate Speaker Abdel Wahab Abdel Razek, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Planning and Economic Development Minister Hala el Said, Social Solidarity Minister Nevine el Kabbaj, Head of the National Council for Women Maya Morsi and a number of senior state officials.