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Malek Helali
Doha
MANY female activists in the field of women rights along with female journalists are subjected to a systematic attack by the government authorities in Egypt as a result of their persistent demands for equal gender rights, according to Shaimaa Aboelkhir, an Egyptian journalist with Al Araby TV in London.
Speaking at a panel session in Doha recently, Aboelkhir said:"It is important to highlight the challenges that we as women rights' and human rights' activists face because of the increasing oppression by the [Egyptian]government against the feminist movement and journalists' freedom and the price we have to pay on a daily basis to fight for gender equality on the legal and social levels."
Aboelkhir noted that the oppression increased throughout the region after the 2011 uprisings, and women journalists and activists have especially endured physical and even sexual attacks. However, taking the Egyptian example, she also argued that physical attacks on women activists and journalists predate 2011, as she herself was physically attacked in 2005 along with political activists and other journalists for their criticism of the government at that time.
"Activists in Egypt are completely stranded as their money and property are both seized by the government and they are subjected to travel bans," she added.
The journalist explained that she currently lives in London in a self-imposed exile in order to continue pursuing the journalism profession and practice women rights activism.
