More than 250 cases of violence against women and girls were documented across Egypt in the first half of 2025, with family members responsible for the majority, according to a report released Friday by Sout to Support Women's Rights initiative.
Nearly seven in 10 of the 252 reported cases were committed by husbands or relatives, according to Sout’s semi-annual bulletin, based on data collected from Egyptian digital news outlets between January and June 2025.
The initiative’s monitoring and research unit found that women across Egypt face abuse in nearly every part of their lives. Physical violence was the most commonly reported, with 104 out of 252 cases. It often involved beatings, burnings, and gunshot wounds. These left physical scars and lasting emotional trauma.
Psychological violence made up 53 cases. Women reported being threatened at home, insulted, and intimidated into silence. In 49 cases, women endured sexual violence, including harassment and rape. Many were attacked in public spaces, workplaces, and oftentimes even at home.
Economic abuse was reported in 24 cases. Here, women were denied access to money or barred from working. This left them unable to support themselves. Another 22 cases involved social abuse. Victims were cut off from others or prevented from going to school, especially young girls.
Cairo recorded the highest rate of documented cases at 18%, followed by Giza (14%), Qalyoubia (10%), Alexandria (8%), Dakahliya (7%) and Assiut (6%). The remaining 37% of cases were spread across other governorates.
The majority of the documented cases involved young women, with those aged between 15 and 25 making up nearly half of all victims. A total of 113 cases—45% of the total—fell within this age group, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of younger women and girls.
Another 76 cases, or 30%, involved women aged 26 to 35, while 38 incidents were reported among women between 36 and 45. The report also recorded violence against 13 girls under the age of 15, and 12 women aged over 45, indicating that abuse cuts across generations, affecting minors and older women alike.
“These figures reflect a persistent rise in the number of violations women face in both public and private spheres,” remarked Noha Sayed, executive director of Sout. “They also point to the lack of effective legal deterrents,” she added.
Sayed warned that the actual number of cases could be significantly higher, citing underreporting and the reluctance of news outlets to publish certain stories. She noted that many survivors avoid police stations due to fear of social stigma and legal hurdles.
“Women often feel hopeless about the justice system’s ability to protect them, especially given the drawn-out nature of court proceedings,” she told Al Manassa.
The findings align with Egypt's 2021 Demographic and Health Survey, which showed that 31% of women had experienced domestic violence by a spouse. That data further revealed 25.5% had endured physical violence, 5.6% sexual violence, and 22.3% psychological abuse.
Sayed attributed the widespread nature of the problem to systemic issues, including weak enforcement of existing laws and deeply rooted patriarchal norms that normalize control over women.
She called for a comprehensive response, including the adoption of a unified law to combat violence against women, expanding protection services, ensuring confidentiality in reporting, and enhancing women’s economic independence.
She also emphasized the need to train police officers and other officials to treat survivors as victims in need of support, not as suspects.
Sout's call for legislation mirrors previous efforts by women’s rights coalitions, which drafted a unified anti-violence law in 2017. The bill has been submitted to parliament several times, most recently in 2022, but has yet to pass.
