The National Council for Women and UNFPA inaugurated on December 8 a medical response clinic at the Ain Shams Hospital offering comprehensive services for women subjected to violence 24/7, with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

The inauguration was attended by Dr. Maya Morsy, head of the National Council for Women, Germaine Haddad, UNFPA Assistant Representative, and Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University. 

In preparation of the clinic, which is part of the emergency room, training workshops were 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 National Council for Women officially adopted the referral pathway in November 2019 marking the establishment of the first national process to develop and ensure the quality and efficiency of services for women and girls subjected to violence.

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 (UNDP, UNODC, WHO and UN Women), to coordinate between relevant stakeholders on GBV protection, prevention and care in the legal, social and medical sectors.

In her address, Germaine Haddad, Assistant Representative at UNFPA, said that Egypt is one of the first 10 countries to adopt the Essential Services Package. She explained that this clinic is hosted by a hospital visited by around 600 women every day, so it provides a “safe haven” for women who are subjected to violence and offers services to deal with their mental and physical wellbeing.

This comes as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, as UNFPA continues to work to end violence against women through its partnership with the National Council for Women.