“You are not alone” a simple yet powerful motto for victims of domestic violence who often feel isolated with nowhere to go. In an Arab society with high rates of women abuse, the Eed Wahda initiative promises a better tomorrow.
Molk, please introduce us to yourself
I have always been a huge advocate for the empowerment of women. However, just like many other children, I was geared towards becoming a lawyer. Having studied at Warwick University in Social Science for my foundation year and completing my Bachelor of Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, by default I started working in different law firms until I finally realized that this would never be my path.
A few years later, I was lucky enough to have worked at the UN Women Egypt – Country Office, which reconfirmed my passion. Having left UN Women in pursue of my MSc in Sustainable Development at SOAS the concept of establishing Eed Wahda occurred to me.
And how did Eed Wahda come together?
A tragedy happened in February of this year where a girl in Asiyut bled to death undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM is an illegal act here in Egypt since 2008 and in 2016 stricter penalties were introduced. Nonetheless, it still happens behind closed doors and in the most horrific ways. I came to the realization after discussing this trivial story that many have not heard about this case. It made me realize that there must be so many different types of abuse happening that we do not hear about and where we have no idea of what actually happens!
So, then it hit me, why not start a page and group on Facebook addressing issues on gender-based violence. Providing awareness on matters in an animated and light way but also establish a community where survivors can share their stories anonymously, build a social support platform and create their safe zone. I wanted grass-root outreach, visibility and a place for women and girls from every corner to have the option to share, to vent, to interact and to have something to fall back onto, at any time and from any place – as simple as that!
What are some key social issues that make Eed Wahda so crucial in Egypt and the Middle East?
This is applicable to the whole world but on different levels. Subconsciously, whether we are aware of it or not, we have been fine-tuned on the basis that men and women are not equal and carry different societal roles, obligations and capabilities. This in itself is the core of the issue. In the Middle East it is more extreme due to the normalization of women staying at home and catering to family needs whereas men are the breadwinners. It is a rooted superiority issue that actually has a domino effect on all aspects of a woman’s life, and thus with time this gave men an advantage which led to normalizing the notion of what we call ‘rape culture ’ – harassment in all its forms in the streets and at home. It is a dominance issue, and power often leads to taking advantage of the weak.
What are some services provided by Eed Wahda?
We provide responses to every survivor story on the Eed Wahda Facebook group from a gender specialist therapist or a child and adolescent psychologist. We direct victims to financial aid services, along with 2 months pro-bono legal services, advice and consultancy.
We also work on virtual panel discussions and workshops in line with survivor stories, community building, and raising awareness about different forms of violence.
Some of your organization’s key achievements
We are slowly growing a bigger and more supportive community that is vital, as we believe that our unity is our driving force and our tool to achieve sustainable impact. There has been an increase in survivors seeking free psychotherapy sessions through our collaboration with Shezlong. We are very responsive and care about each survivor who found the strength to share her story anonymously on the Facebook group. This has resulted in success stories and opened a line of communication between us, which we are very proud of.
And what does a superstar actress like Nelly Karim bring to your organization?
First let me just say that my Nelly Karim is such a genuine and humble person, she really made the process of communication between us super easy (which is rare) and truly believes in Eed Wahda and what it stands for. I approached her on the basis of giving hope to those who feel like they will never be heard following our #hopestartswithus campaign. I really want this message to reach as many women and girls as possible, and luckily, Nelly made that happen. We will definitely work together again so stay tuned!
What are your upcoming plans?
We are in the process of registering as a foundation as one of our main on-ground missions is to build women shelters and facilities that provide cross-cutting services such as; gender specialist therapists, learning basic skills like handicrafts/sewing, classrooms for survivors who have children. In general, tools to heal and empower victims so that once they do leave the shelter they do not fall back into a viscous cycle. Our goal is to collaborate with the ministry of social solidarity and to have the governments support to establish long-term solutions for our nation.
Your heartfelt message to the victims of violence
You are not alone,.. We will always be there to support you and to enable you. Have faith in us and trust that we are purely dedicated to empower you!
By Victor Gee
