Domestic violence felony carries penalty of 1 year in prison

CAIRO – 2 September 2017: Up to one year in jail to be the penalty for whoever proves to be guilty of committing any behaviors that causes physical or psychological harm to women inside the family, as per a new draft law laid out by the National Council for Women and in an effort to end domestic violence against women.

Over a million women per year experience domestic violence by either their live-in inmates or intimate partners, and about 70 percent of them are ill-treated by their spouses, 20% are abused by their fathers and 10 percent experience violence at the hands of their brothers, according to a recently conducted study by the National Council of Women.

The new proposed legalization comes in accordance of article 11 of the Egyptian Constitution, which stipulates that "the State is obliged to protect women against all forms of violence,” and goes in conformity with the international treaties and conventions signed by Egypt in upholding human rights.

The draft law defines domestic violence as "any act or gender-based behavior that results in psychological or physical harm or suffering to women or offends her dignity, including threats of such acts, coercion, sexual abuse, harassment, or deprivation of inheritance."