NGOs and women’s rights organisations warned against the continued discrimination by judicial bodies, ahead of a new round of appointments for assistant representatives at the State Council.
Eleven organisations, including the New Woman Foundation, Nazra for Feminist Studies, and El Nadeem Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, issued a joint statement condemning the continued exclusion of women from judicial positions at the council.
The State Council – responsible for resolving cases related to administrative decrees and disputes, as well as disputes related to contracts with the state, and compensations – announced opening the door for applications for the entry-level position of assistant representative on Monday, with the opportunity to be promoted to judge, from law and police graduates.
“Although the state council is an independent judicial body, which settles disputes between citizens and the state under guidance of the law and the constitution, it still ha snot appointed any qualified female graduates,” the statement read.
Established in 1946, the council did not allow the appointment of women until 2009, when it announced that female graduates can apply to become judges. However, later in 2010, a general assembly of the council convened to vote against appointing women as judges.
Since then, the jobs at the council have been labelled “for men only”, as described by the New Woman Foundation.
The constitution states, in four different articles, its commitment to gender equality and equal opportunities; it also affirms that discrimination is a crime punishable by law.
“We affirm the constitutional rights of women and demand the activation of rights for equality and equal opportunities,” the signing organisations said.
