The Egyptian Coalition for Children’s Rights issued a statement Wednesday claiming 1075 violations of children’s rights throughout the second half of the academic year with no one held accountable.
These cases, which have occurred across Egypt, include over 450 cases of food poisoning, 34 cases of swine flu and other diseases, and three cases of killing. There were also around 40 cases of student violence, injuries due to tear gas, injuries due to negligence, as well as one case of suicide in Sharqeya.
“Overlooking the demands of reform for the educational institution is a trait that every Egyptian government passes on,” the statement read, “The polices regarding child protection should not burden the children alone, they are the responsibility of those who administrate the educational process in Egypt.”
The ECCR also condemned the high exposure to danger children face in schools due to weak infrastructure as well as negligence.
Student violence against each other is also common in schools and has often led to children killing or seriously wounding each other, the statement said. The ECCR attributes this violence to more widespread social violence, including that found in popular movies and television shows, and domestic violence. Children, the ECCR said, imitate and reciprocate the violence they see in their communities.
The statement also said that the ministry’s Decree 243 issued on 20 May is only concerned with maintaining order inside schools. The decree only holds students rather than their administrators accountable. This law overlooks other forms of violence inside educational institutions, as it only looks at violence undertaken by students rather than at administration, teacher.
“If our children do not die from the diseases and viruses that they acquire, they will die from the negligence of those that work in the Ministry of Education,” the statement read.
