Egypt’s Pyramids Turn Orange to End Violence Against Women

Egypt’s pyramids and the sphinx were donned in orange light on Wednesday as part of the United Nations universal campaign to eliminate violence against women.

The Cairo tower also shone in orange light as part of the campaign.

“We need this eye-catching colour everywhere so that the message is loud and clear: we all need to work together to stop violence against women and girls right now,” UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in a statement.

Many human rights violations are categorised under gender-based violence (GBV), which include sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, and trafficking of women and girls.

A study by UN Women in 2013 found that 99.3 percent of Egyptian women and girls reported having been subjected to verbal or physical harassment.

According to the “Female genital mutilation/cutting: What might the future hold?” report published by UNICEF in 2014, over 90 percent of Egyptian women aged between 15-40 have undergone FGM.

In 2008, Egypt’s Demographic and Health Survey (2008 EDHS), conducted on behalf of the ministry of health, also recorded that at least 91 percent of Egyptian females in the age group 15-49 were subjected to FGM.

November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which lasts for 16 days. It ends on December 10, which corresponds to Human Rights Day.