Bernd von Jutrczenka/DPA/PA Images. All rights reserved.In late May, President Abdel
Fattah El Sisi enacted a law imposing strict
regulations on nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), accelerating Egypt’s on-going crackdown on human rights and civil
society. This law, in short, will mean the end of some of Egypt’s leading NGOs,
including those working to advance the rights of women and girls.

The law places all civil society
operations, funding, and activities under the authority of a new government
entity, the “National Authority for the Regulation of Non-Governmental Foreign
Organizations.”

The name, however, is misleading; the regulations will apply to
both foreign organizations and local Egyptian organizations receiving foreign
funding. The law bans organizations from engaging
in any work that the government
considers harmful for national security, public
order, public morals, or public health.

The new policy builds on a
pattern of human rights violations. At last count, Egypt held an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, countless NGOs have been shut down, and well-respected
activists, journalists, and NGO staff have faced a myriad of trumped up
charges.

For example, the lawyer
and women’s rights activist, Azza Soliman, faces false charges of “undermining national security.” She
is currently under a travel ban and her personal assets have been frozen. If
convicted, she could face up to fifteen years in prison.

In flagrant violation of
both the Egyptian constitution and international human rights law, Azza was
never informed that she was under investigation, and only discovered the
investigation when she attempted to leave the country in November and was
denied.

Given this bleak scenario, how could things get much worse?

When
Françoise Girard, IWHC’s President, and I were there in April, we
met with activists and organizations who spoke about the impact of the escalating
crackdown. A leading Egyptian activist described the law as “basically
an end to human rights work and nongovernmental organizations.” Egyptian
bureaucracy is so burdensome that even if organizations have the capacity to
submit all the required fees and paperwork, approvals could take weeks, months,
or even years.

We saw firsthand the essential role NGOs play in Egyptian
communities. We met with activists who run campaigns combating violence against
women, help parents talk to their children about sexual abuse, provide support
and treatment for those living with HIV, and educate communities about the
health risks and rights violations of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Activists believe this new law aims to silence any and all
human rights activists and organizations, but could limit other institutions as
well. They worry that charities and nonprofit health and education institutions
could be targeted simply because they are unafraid to show the ‘real’ Egypt and
chip away at the façade the government has put up that everything is going well
in the country.

The organization Nazra for Feminist Studies and its
Executive Director, Mozn
Hassan, have faced an onslaught of attacks from the government, including
asset freezes and travel bans—in part prompted by the organization’s efforts to
unmask the street harassment that women faced during the Tahrir Square
uprisings. Though sexual harassment is a common occurrence in Egypt, their
efforts countered the government’s narrative that women are safe in public spaces.

If the crackdown on NGOs supporting local communities continues, it’s doubtful that the government can step up to fill this void.

It’s no coincidence that the most targeted activists,
including Azza Soliman and Mozn Hassan, are seeking to address the country’s
major challenges and needs, which the government often cannot, or will not,
meet.

The organization Azza co-founded, the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal
Assistance (CEWLA), works to combat harmful traditional practices, such as FGM,
and also provides legal assistance and support to women across the country. 

In 2016, Parliament passed a law to make female genital mutilation
a felony with penalties of five to seven years of prison, with an additional term
of up to 15 years if the operation leads to death or permanent injury. Despite
the official ban, FGM remains a widespread practice.

While the Sisi government has attempted to position itself
as a secular, “enlightened” alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood—one that cares
about women’s rights—progress in ending FGM, sexual violence, and early
marriage is unlikely if the government continues to obstruct the operations of
the organizations trying to tackle these problems. 

Human rights defenders and the organizations they lead are
critical to effecting change. Ironically, even as the Egyptian government
attacked Azza and her critical role in advancing the rights of women and girls
in Egypt, local authorities reached out to CEWLA staff for their help in
preventing the marriage of a nine-year-old girl after child protection services
failed to do so. If the crackdown on NGOs supporting local communities
continues, it’s doubtful that the government can step up to fill this void.

The Egyptian government’s reckless, repressive actions also
jeopardize the country’s future by leaving some of its most committed activists
and social justice advocates disillusioned and terrified. One young activists
told us, “I am dedicated to this work and after all this time, don’t want to
stop. But I also don’t want to go to jail, and with this law, I think that’s a
strong possibility.”

If you’d like to support activists in Egypt, please sign
Amnesty International’s petition for Azza Soliman here.

Also, please see and share the
joint-statement from CIVICUS denouncing the crackdown.