In preparation for the launch of the first Safe Women’s Clinics in the Ministry of Health and Population’s primary healthcare facilities, UNFPA and the National Council for Women held a three-day workshop for 25 physicians on case management on violence against women, in partnership with the General Secretariat of Mental Health with the support of the Norwegian Embassy.

The first day of the training, held on December 27, aimed to strengthen doctors’ knowledge on the most prevalent forms of violence against women, the available services, the relevant legislation, the updated medical and clinical procedures and the referral mechanism. The remaining two days were moderated by the General Secretariat of Mental Health and addressed the psychological assessment of women subjected to violence, the impact of violence on women and how to best communicate with survivors.

UNFPA, in partnership with the National Council for Women, is supporting the Ministry of Health and Population to equip and establish 20 Safe Women’s Clinics by January 2022 in its pilot phase. The pilot phase is set to pave the way to expand and establish additional clinics in more governorates.

The partnership brings together the National Council for Women’s expertise in offering coordinated response to women subjected to violence, and UNFPA's technical expertise in building the capacity of medical staff under the ministry on the updated clinical guidelines and referral procedures.

The Safe Women clinics are medical response clinics offering comprehensive services for women subjected to violence. Since late 2020, eight clinics were inaugurated at the Mansoura, Cairo, Ain Shams, Assiut, Benha, Beni Suef, Minya and 6th of October university hospitals.

Training workshops were also held for medical staff on offering response services to women subjected to violence, as well as the national referral process for all existing medical, legal and social services available.

The first of its kind, the referral pathway was developed under the Essential Services Package (ESP) joint-program in Egypt, coordinated by UNFPA. The ESP modules were adapted to national context and endorsed by relevant ministries and key UN agencies to coordinate between relevant stakeholders on GBV protection, prevention and care in the legal, social and medical sectors.