Egypt Has Sworn In Nearly 100 Women As The First Women Judges In Its State Council
In a historic moment, 98 women in Egypt have been sworn in as the first women judges in the country’s State Council, one of its main judicial bodies that had previously been all male.
In a historic moment, 98 women in Egypt have been sworn in as the first women judges in the country’s State Council, one of its main judicial bodies that had previously been all male.
They were sworn in on Tuesday Oct. 19 before the chief judge, Mohammed Hossam el-Din, who said the women are “an important addition to the State Council,” AP reported.
This comes months after Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi asked for women to join the State Council and the Public Prosecution – two judicial bodies that were exclusively male.
The council had previously actively rejected women, with many women challenging the decision and saying that they were being discriminated against, according to the BBC,
“This is a memorable day. It is a dream for us and for past generations as well,” Radwa Helmy, one of the women judges, told AP. “Being a woman in one of the chief judiciary institutions in Egypt and the Arab world was a dream.”
As part of the State Council, the women judges will be mainly handling administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals, as well as reviewing draft laws and government decisions and contracts, according to AP.
