What Egypt’s El-Sisi and the EU have in common when it comes to women’s rights. CEPS Commentary, 30 October 2018

Debuysere, Loes (2018) What Egypt’s El-Sisi and the EU have in common when it comes to women’s rights. CEPS Commentary, 30 October 2018. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

A young Egyptian woman by the name of Amal Fathy was given a fine and a two-year prison sentence on 29 September 2018. Her crime? Uploading a video on Facebook in May in which she shared her experiences of sexual harassment in Egypt and criticised the Egyptian government for failing to deliver to its citizens. Her sentence signalled a first controversial human rights violation on the part of the Egyptian government since the EU announced in-depth cooperation on migration with Egypt during the Salzburg summit. This sentence also takes place against the backdrop of continued support by both El-Sisi and the EU for the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Fathy’s case flies in the face of EU and Egyptian government rhetoric about women’s rights and raises questions about the sincerity of both actors’ agendas on the rights of women.

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