UNFPA and the National Council for Women (NCW) in partnership with Al-Azhar University Hospital inaugurated on June 8 the first Safe Women Clinic at Al-Azhar University Faculty of Medicine for Girls.

The inauguration was held in the presence of Frederika Meijer, UNFPA Representative in Egypt, Professor Salama Daoud, President of Al-Azhar University, Dr. Naglaa El-Adly, Director of the International Relations Department at the National Council for Women, Ms. Eithar Soliman on behalf of the Embassy of Norway and hosted by Dr. Hanaa El-Ebissy, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Girls at Al-Azhar University.

This clinic is one of 10 Safe Women medical response clinics around the country, offering comprehensive services for women subjected to violence, including medical services, examination, psychological first-aid, internal hospital referral as well as multi-sectoral referral to legal and social services in coordination with NCW.

The establishment of Al-Azhar clinic is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and KOICA Egypt as part of a large-scale partnership with UNFPA in Egypt to combat all forms of Gender-Based Violence against Women and Girls.

The inauguration also brought together Dr. Amal Philip, Health Advisor to NCW'S Anti-Violence against Women Unit and Mona El-Ghazaly, Coordinator of the Anti-violence against Women Unit. The Unit plays a key role in strengthening the institutional capacity of service providers through intensive training programs on GBV response following the global UNFPA-WHO guidelines as well as offering ongoing on-the-job support to doctors and nurses and all health-care service providers operating the Safe Women Clinics.

“It is a very special moment for UNFPA,” Meijer said, “over the past years we had the opportunity to open 10 clinics reaching a lot of women and girls and providing physical and psychological support.”

NCW has signed protocols with universities across Egypt to establish Safe Women Clinics at the university hospitals.

The Azhar clinic brings the total of Safe Women’s Clinics at university hospitals to 10 nationally, with clinics operating at Qasr al-Ainy, Mansoura, Ain Shams, Suez Canal, Assiut, Benha, Beni Suef, Minya and 6th of October university hospitals.

NCW and UNFPA have also established a total of eight Safe Women’s Clinics at the Primary Health Care level in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population allowing more vulnerable women to have access to support, counseling and information.