Egypt’s national response to violence against women and girls, as assessed under the 2024 Regional Index on VAWG, presents a mixed picture. Progress is evident in the Provision of Services Funded by the State (62.9%) and the Professional Capacity of First Respondents (58.7%), reflecting improvements in service delivery and institutional training. Data Systems and Statistics (50.1%) and National Coordination and Regional Cooperation (50.3%) indicate the existence of mechanisms and institutional efforts, though implementation remains uneven.
The Legal Framework and Public Policies category recorded the lowest score at 30.6%, underscoring significant legislative gaps. Although Egypt has ratified CEDAW, it maintains reservations on key provisions and has not ratified the Optional Protocol. The absence of a comprehensive law criminalizing all forms of VAWG remains a central concern, alongside the non-criminalization of marital rape and the persistence of discriminatory provisions in personal status and labor laws. While certain forms of violence—such as sexual harassment and female genital mutilation—are criminalized, protections remain fragmented. The National Strategy to Combat Violence against Women (2015–2020) has expired, and although the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 includes relevant components, there is currently no fully funded, standalone national plan dedicated exclusively to combating VAWG.