Abstract
More than 28 years after the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, which highlighted the physical, sexual and psychological abuse women are exposed to, violence against women (VAW) remains a widespread world phenomenon. This chapter aims to map the different forms of VAW in Egypt with a special focus on FGM and intimate partner violence (IPV). It aims to answer the following question: “To what extent do factors such as gender, residence, wealth and education shape women’s exposure to violence and increases the risk of their exposure to certain forms of VAW in Egypt over others?” Using a quantitative method, namely a survey with a sample of 400 Egyptian men and women in Qalyoubia Governorate (Lower Egypt) and Minia Governorate (Upper Egypt), this chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of FGM and IPV while testing the significance of various categories of inequalities, such as gender, urban–rural division, wealth and education, on the prevalence of FGM and IPV in Egypt.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
A special thanks to Nehal Hamdy and Nour Kamel for their help with the literature review.
- 2.
All participants took part in the interviews voluntarily. Confidentiality was maintained throughout this research. Pseudonyms were used to protect participants’ identities.
- 3.
For cultural purposes, the questions followed a binary understanding of gender through female/male division.
References
Abd-Elmoteleb, S. (2017). The January Revolution and its Repercussions on the Egyptian Personality: A Field Study. Faculty of Arts Journal, Mansoura University, 60(1015), 1149.
Abramsky, T., et al. (2011). What Factors are Associated with Recent Intimate Partner Violence? Findings from the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence, BioMed Central Public Health, 11(109), 1–17.
Al-Magdoub, A. (2003). The Phenomenon of Violence in the Egyptian Family. The National Center for Criminal and Social research.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Defining the Data Challenge for Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. Australia: The Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Badawi, M. (1989). Epidemiology of female sexual castration in Cairo Egypt. [Unpublished] 1989. Presented at the First International Symposium on Circumcision Anaheim California, 1–2 March 1989.
Barker, G., Contreras, M., Heilman, B., Singh, A., Verma, R., & Nascimento, M. (2011). Evolving Men: Initial Results from the International. Men and Gender Equality Survey.
Barsoum, G., Rifaat, N., El-Gibaly, O., Elwan, N., & Forcier, N. (2011). National Efforts Toward FGM-Free Villages in Egypt: The Evidence of Impact. National Council of Childhood and Motherhood.
Cutrona, C. E., Wallace, G., & Wesner, K. A. (2008). Neighborhood Characteristics and Depression: An Examination of Stress Processes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(4), 188–192.
El-Mouelhy, M. et al. (2013). Men’s Perspectives on the Relationship between Sexuality and Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt. Sociology Study, 3(2). 104–13.
El-Zanaty and Associates and ICF International. (2015). Egypt Health Issues Survey 2015. Ministry of Health and Population.
El-Zanaty, F. (2015). Factors and Determinants of FGM/C of girls aged 0–17 years: A Secondary Analysis of the Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys 2005, 2008 and 2014.
El-Zanaty, F., & Way, A. (2003). Egypt Interim Demographic and Health Survey. Ministry of Health and Population/Egypt, National Population Council/Egypt, El-Zanaty and Associates/Egypt, and ORC Macro.
George, J., & Stith, S. M. (2014). An Updated Feminist View of Intimate Partner Violence. Family Process, 53(2), 179–193.
Greenfeld, L., & Craven, D. (1998), Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends and Girlfriends, US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs.
Habib, S. (2009). Egypt Violence against Women Study Summary of Findings. National Council for Women.
Heise, L., & Gracia-Moreno, C. (2002). Violence by Intimate Partners. In E. G. Krug, L. L. Dahlberg, J. A. Mercy, A. B. Ziwi, & R. Lozano (Eds.), World Report on Violence and Health (pp. 87–121). WHO Press.
Heise, L., Moore, K., & Toubia, N. (1995). Sexual Coercion and Reproductive Health: A Focus on Research. The Population Council.
Jejeebhoy, S. J. (1995). Women’s Education, Autonomy, and Reproductive Behaviour: Experience from Developing Countries. OUP Catalogue.
Jewkes, R. (2002). Intimate Partner Violence: Causes and Prevention. Violence against Women, 359(9315), 1423–1429.
Kaplan, A., et al. (2011). Health Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation/cutting in the Gambia: Evidence into Action. Health Report, 8, 26.
Khodary, Y. (2018). What Difference can it Make? Assessing the Impact of Gender Equality and Empowerment in Matters of Inheritance in Egypt. The Journal of the Middle East and Africa, 9(2), 173–193.
Krivo, L. J., & Peterson, R. D. (1996). Extremely Disadvantaged Neighborhoods and Urban Crime. Social Forces, 75(2), 619–648.
Menjivar, C., & Salicido, O. (2002). Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence: Common Experiences in Different Countries. Gender & Society, 16(898), 898–920.
Ministry of Health and Population, El-Zanaty and Associates, and ICF International. (2015). Egypt Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Cairo, Egypt and Rockville, Maryland.
Ozer, E. J., Best, S. R., Lipsey, T. L., & Weiss, D. S. (2003). Predictors of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Symptoms in Adults: A Meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 129(3), 5273.
Packer, C. (2005) Circumcision and Human Rights Discourse, in Nnaemeka, O. and Ezeilo, J. (Eds) Engendering Human Rights: Cultural and Socio-Economic Realities in Africa, pp. 223–248, Palgrave Macmillan.
Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community Structure and Crime: Testing Social-disorganization Theory. American Journal of Sociology, 94(4), 774–802.
Spruin, E., Alleyne, E., & Papadaki, L. (2015). Domestic Abuse Victims’ Perceptions of Abuse and Support: A Narrative Study. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 1(1), 19–28.
Stark, R. (1987). Deviant Places: A Theory of the Ecology of Crime. Criminology, 25(4), 893–910.
Stith, S. M., et al. (2004). Intimate Partner Physical Abuse Perpetration and Victimization Risk Factors: A Meta-analytic Review. Journal of Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10, 65–98.
Ullman, S. E. (2005). Interviewing Clinicians and Advocates who work with Sexual Assault Survivors: A Personal Perspective on Moving from Quantitative to Qualitative Methods. Violence against Women, 11(9), 1113–1139.
UNICEF (2014) “Media Backgrounder: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C).
World Health Organization. (2008). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. WHO.
World Health Organization. (2023). Female Genital Mutilation. WHO.
Yount, K. M. (2002). Like Mother, like Daughter? Female Genital Cutting in Minia. Egypt. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 3, 336–358.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Khodary, Y.M. (2024). Violence against Women in Egypt: A Closer Look at Intimate Partner Violence and Female Genital Mutilation. In: Mlambo, O.B., Chitando, E. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Violence in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40754-3_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40754-3_37
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-40753-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40754-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)