Twenty-five civil society organizations have warned of a surge in digital abuse targeting women parliamentarians, calling it a threat to political participation and a violation of constitutional rights.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the groups urged legal and institutional action to combat what they described as orchestrated campaigns of harassment that push women out of public life.
The statement followed the deliberate leaking of a personal audio clip belonging to a sitting female MP, which was circulated by an online outlet. When another candidate publicly defended the MP, the same outlet launched a smear campaign against her as well.
Zeinab Khair, a gender consultant and head of the board of trustees at the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, told Al Manassa the groups seek to expose the gravity of defamation and cyberviolence against women in politics. “These tactics are designed to intimidate and silence women,” she said, warning that such attacks deter many from running for office altogether.
Khair emphasized that justifying the publication of private recordings under the guise of free speech constitutes a blatant breach of privacy rights protected under Article 99 of Egypt’s Constitution. She also warned that such recordings could be weaponized for blackmail and further reputational harm.
She said the current wave of online violence reflects a broader societal backlash against women in public life—be they MPs, candidates, or even content creators on social media. “We’re witnessing a dangerous escalation of symbolic and digital violence against women. The absence of real oversight in online spaces only emboldens political and gendered abuse,” she added.
Khair criticized gaps in the enforcement of protective laws, despite the existence of statutes like Egypt’s cybercrime law and internal complaint mechanisms in professional syndicates. She said her organization is now working on tools to monitor and resist online violence against women as the problem worsens.
The National Council for Women launched Egypt’s national strategy to combat violence against women in 2015. The plan, which ended in 2020, was based on four pillars: prevention, protection, intervention, and legal procedures. It aimed to foster a safe society free from gender-based violence.
The rights groups behind the statement called on journalists’ and media workers’ unions to collaborate on gender-sensitive reporting standards, particularly during elections.
Iman Auf, head of both the women’s and freedoms committees at the Journalists’ Syndicate, told Al Manassa that the campaigns targeting the two candidates amount to a serious violation. “It reflects the entrenched misogyny in society and its resistance to women participating in public life,” she said.
She condemned the role of the outlet that published the attack as disgraceful, saying it was “shameful and embarrassing that such acts come from those claiming to be journalists.”
Auf herself has been targeted with smear campaigns since winning her union seat. “I faced insinuations and personal attacks from shady social media pages,” she said, adding that support from fellow journalists and the broader public helped her withstand the assault.
Regarding disciplinary procedures, Auf said the syndicate has mechanisms for investigating members involved in such violations. “We’ve recently received complaints about media outlets violating women’s rights. When a journalist is found responsible, they’re referred to an internal committee and can be expelled.”
She noted that the Supreme Council for Media Regulation oversees online platforms and holds the authority to sanction websites. “They are fully empowered to investigate and penalize such conduct,” she said.
Auf welcomed the call for collaboration between the journalists’ syndicate and the National Council for Women. “It’s a brilliant suggestion. There’s currently no formal protocol between the two bodies, but we’re open to any initiative in that direction,” she said.
She added that the syndicate maintains two internal codes of conduct, developed through its sixth general conference. The women’s committee is now working to revise these frameworks through in-depth discussions, with the aim of formalizing them soon.
Last December, the committee hosted a session titled “Towards a Modern Code of Ethics and Conduct,” which sparked debate over how best to protect women journalists.
Some participants demanded stronger protections against gender-based discrimination and violence in newsrooms, while others argued that press freedom must come first.
