Girls, women sexually abused during medical exams by doctors in Egypt
Many girls and women are sexually abused by doctors in Egypt. We spoke to several of these women, who say they were sexually abused during medical exams by doctors.
ÎNAS KEMAL
Cairo- The number of girls and women, who are sexually abused by doctors in Egypt, increases. Doctors sexually abuse their female patients despite their Hippocratic Oath. About a month ago, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced doctor Michael Fahmy to life imprisonment on charges of luring six girls and forcibly indecently assaulting them by making them think they needed treatment. Now, Egyptian women have to think twice about going to a male doctor due to the increase in sexual assaults cases by male doctors. NuJINHA spoke to several victims of doctors in Egypt.
She was sexually abused
Mayada Abid Aal told us what she experienced when she went to a gynecologist as follows; “I went to a gynecologist. I felt that the examination was strange. Although it was the first months of my pregnancy, the gynecologist touched some parts of my body that were unrelated to the examination. He is a well-known and experienced doctor so I thought my examination was normal. At first, I thought I misunderstood, but then I was sure there was something wrong. Since then, I haven’t gone to this doctor anymore.”
33-year-old Ayar Hesen went to a clinic at Ezbet El Nakhl in Cairo in 2015. “I went to the clinic with one of my friends because I suffered from irregular menstrual periods. But the doctor sent the nurse and my friend out of the examination room. He checked all parts of my body. I felt uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do. It was a trauma for me. I did not receive any psychological support to overcome this trauma,” she told us.
When Fatima El-Zehra went to a doctor, her doctor asked her about her sexual relationship with her husband. “He gave me sex advice,” she said.
Doctors start a petition
Dr. Sherine Al-Mohandes, a member of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, has started a petition to collect signatures against the increasing sexual abuse cases along with several of her colleagues. In the petition, Dr. Sherine Al-Mohandes and her colleagues call on the Egyptian Medical Syndicate to take urgent measures. “We have collected 40 signatures until now but we expect to collect thousands of signatures. 50 percent of female patients are sexually abused by doctors.
Dr. Magda Adly, the director of the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence and Torture in Egypt, spoke to our news agency about the trauma suffered by women, who were subjected to sexual abuse by doctors. During the past months, six women filed complaints against a doctor in Tanta. But we know the number of women subjected to sexual abuse is more.”