ASMAA FATHI

Cairo-Many international organizations have struggled against the trafficking of women and girls. They have developed projects and held awareness-raising programs. Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance Foundation (CEWLA) has started a project against the trafficking of women and girls. We spoke to Nora Mohammad, project coordinator of the foundation, about their project.

They open four centers

Egyptian Women's Legal Foundation is a civil institution established in 1995 to provide support and legal support to Egyptian women. The foundation aims to end the violation of women’s rights by raising awareness and to support women in obtaining legal, social, economic, and cultural rights. Nora Mohammad told us that the foundation conducted a survey about human trafficking in Egypt.

Talking about the methods of trafficking of women and girls, Nora Mohammad said, “There are many immoral methods, including child marriage and the exploitation of female domestic workers and the exploitation of the women by their husbands.  Our foundation has started a project to struggle against the trafficking of women and girls. We started this project to support and rehabilitate women. We opened four centers in Faiyum, Cairo, and Sharm el-Sheikh to support women.”

They support women’s economic empowerment

Stating that they, as the foundation, have organized sewing courses for the economic empowerment of abused women, Nora Mohammad said that even a small project can support women and save them from being abused. “After completing the courses, we give women sewing machines, fabrics, and some tools to start their own projects. Our project also aims to raise awareness of women against trafficking methods,” she said.

“The law is not actively implemented”

Emphasizing that Law No. 64 of 2010 regarding Combating Human Trafficking hasn’t been actively implemented, Nora Mohammad, “The law includes many details such as the psychological and economic rehabilitation of victims but it hasn’t been actively implemented.”