Egypt Forms Female Police Force to Combat Violence – Paper

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior has formed its first, all-female police unit to combat sexual harassment and other violence against women, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported.

The 10-member unit will coordinate the ministry’s campaign in a country of more than 80 million where women have long complained of daily sexual harassment. The newspaper report yesterday on its formation cited Mervat Tallawy, head of the state-backed National Council for Women, and Hussein Fikry, the Interior Minister’s Assistant for Human Rights.

Tallawy said her group had asked for a female force and units at police stations to deal with violence against women, Al-Masry reported. The Interior Ministry will issue a newsletter to inform the public of the unit’s efforts, Fikry said.