Legal Support to Egyptian Women's Rights       

High levels of illiteracy and weak awareness about women’s social, economic and civil rights in poor and marginalized communities often results in the violation of their legal rights and leads to high levels of violence and abuse against them. The “Legal Support to Egyptian Women’s Rights” project aims at addressing the above mentioned problem in 3 marginalized areas of Giza, namely; Alqunaiessa, El Talbia and Al-Omraneia. The project’s main objective is to advocate for women’s rights through the establishment of a social and legal awareness unit as well as a hotline within the organization (located in the marginalised areas) to respond to the needs of women within the targeted communities. This service would be unique and the first of its kind in such areas, thus providing women and their families with access to legal advice regarding family conflicts, marriage problems, abuse and use of violence. The project aims at positioning SAWA as an organization providing legal guiding services for women in poor areas of Giza through 6 major components; a- Establishment of hotline and a legal service unit with 2 full time lawyers and 2 trained social specialists, b- awareness sessions for both women and men on gender equality and legal rights, c- capacity building for the project staff especially in the areas of gender equality, family justice and project management, d- Exchange visits and networking with experienced organizations in the area of women’s rights and experts in the field, e- Roundtable discussions with media to shed light on the seriousness of the problem within the Egyptian society, f- issuing a periodical newsletter and project communication materials. Project stakeholders include: experienced entities from civil society in the areas of gender equality and women’s rights; governmental bodies concerned with women’s status in the Egyptian society, experts from the fields of psychology, sociology and family justice; and finally media in order to increase the level of awareness and outreach regarding the use of violence against women.