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Committees: Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural
Topic: Women In Prison
Country: Egypt
In the world, there is a small number of imprisoned women, actually only 5% of women1
worldwide are incarcerated. With such small numbers many regions struggle to find a way to
respect the specific needs of the women while also maintaining prison as a place of reform.
There have been many allegations of abuse and negligence against female prisons globally. To
find the root of the allegations, Egypt has now turned to the constitutions and conventions of our
country. Egypt believes that prison is a place of restoration for both men and women. The
Egyptian Government honors that belief by reaffirming it in the many laws and acts signed by
the leaders of our country.
Women who are incarcerated have many distinguishable differences from male prisoners. These
differences include healthcare and personal dignity2. The egyptian government treats female
prisoners the same as male prisoners. We believe that prison is a place of reform and
rehabilitation3. To maintain that we look to our laws that dictate that men and women be treated
equal in all aspects of our country. The Egyptian government has judicial oversight over all
prisons in the country, the government is held accountable for the wellbeing of the men and
women that are incarcerated. With judicial oversight, Egypt makes the treatment of these
prisoners top priority. Egypt has also taken part in a number of conventions in regards to the
treatment of women in punishment4. The Egyptian government believes that the only way to
handle women in our prison system is to treat them as we would any male prisoner, except with
the special regards to their specific needs.
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, ​World Female Prisoners (percentage within the Prison Population)​ 12th January, 2018
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Islamic Sharia
Article 56 of the Egyptian Constitution
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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
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