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Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform

This thesis advocates for the implementation of domestic violence legislation in Egypt as a crucial legal and judicial reform necessary to prevent such violence and challenge societal norms that normalize it. It first examines the evolution of domestic violence legislation in line with international...

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Main Author: Hussein, Ahmed
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2025
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access_status_str Open Access
author Hussein, Ahmed
author_browse Hussein, Ahmed
author_facet Hussein, Ahmed
author_sort Hussein, Ahmed
collection Thesis
description This thesis advocates for the implementation of domestic violence legislation in Egypt as a crucial legal and judicial reform necessary to prevent such violence and challenge societal norms that normalize it. It first examines the evolution of domestic violence legislation in line with international human rights standards, highlighting its applications worldwide and the role of states to interfere in an aim to combat such violence. The arguments for and against explicit criminalization are analyzed, emphasizing how legal frameworks can alter social behaviors that normalize violence. Following this, the thesis will focus on Egypt's legal framework addressing domestic violence, showing how the lack of domestic violence legislation has created critical legal gaps that impede effective law enforcement and judicial responses. By treating domestic violence as a private matter, the current legal framework, particularly in criminal, family, and child laws, fails to provide sufficient prevention. This inadequacy is further compounded by patriarchal norms and misinterpretations of Shari’a, which shape law enforcement and judicial practices in ways that often justify domestic violence. The absence of such a criminal framework exacerbates risks for victims in Egypt, especially in impoverished and marginalized communities, where poverty and limited education perpetuate the cycle of violence and increase vulnerability to exploitation and further counter-violence. By linking legal, social, and economic factors, this thesis argues that specific legislation would enhance legal support and increase societal awareness, fostering protection and accountability as well as shifting the inappropriate cultural behavior that accepts domestic violence as justifiable.
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institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
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spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3506 Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform Hussein, Ahmed This thesis advocates for the implementation of domestic violence legislation in Egypt as a crucial legal and judicial reform necessary to prevent such violence and challenge societal norms that normalize it. It first examines the evolution of domestic violence legislation in line with international human rights standards, highlighting its applications worldwide and the role of states to interfere in an aim to combat such violence. The arguments for and against explicit criminalization are analyzed, emphasizing how legal frameworks can alter social behaviors that normalize violence. Following this, the thesis will focus on Egypt's legal framework addressing domestic violence, showing how the lack of domestic violence legislation has created critical legal gaps that impede effective law enforcement and judicial responses. By treating domestic violence as a private matter, the current legal framework, particularly in criminal, family, and child laws, fails to provide sufficient prevention. This inadequacy is further compounded by patriarchal norms and misinterpretations of Shari’a, which shape law enforcement and judicial practices in ways that often justify domestic violence. The absence of such a criminal framework exacerbates risks for victims in Egypt, especially in impoverished and marginalized communities, where poverty and limited education perpetuate the cycle of violence and increase vulnerability to exploitation and further counter-violence. By linking legal, social, and economic factors, this thesis argues that specific legislation would enhance legal support and increase societal awareness, fostering protection and accountability as well as shifting the inappropriate cultural behavior that accepts domestic violence as justifiable. 2025-02-19T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2460 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3506/viewcontent/Ahmed_Tarek_Hussein_Thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Domestic Violence Legislation Criminalization of Domestic Violence Human Rights Standards Legal and Judicial Reform Legal Deficiencies in Egypt Law Enforcement Judicial Response Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Egypt Impoverished Victims Child Protection Vulnerability and Exploitation Justification of Violence Courts Criminal Law Criminal Procedure Family Law Law and Society Rule of Law Social Justice
spellingShingle Domestic Violence Legislation
Criminalization of Domestic Violence
Human Rights Standards
Legal and Judicial Reform
Legal Deficiencies in Egypt
Law Enforcement
Judicial Response
Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Egypt
Impoverished Victims
Child Protection
Vulnerability and Exploitation
Justification of Violence
Courts
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Family Law
Law and Society
Rule of Law
Social Justice
Hussein, Ahmed
Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title_full Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title_fullStr Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title_full_unstemmed Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title_short Criminalizing Domestic Violence in Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, and the Need for Reform
title_sort criminalizing domestic violence in egypt legal gaps risk consequences and the need for reform
topic Domestic Violence Legislation
Criminalization of Domestic Violence
Human Rights Standards
Legal and Judicial Reform
Legal Deficiencies in Egypt
Law Enforcement
Judicial Response
Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Egypt
Impoverished Victims
Child Protection
Vulnerability and Exploitation
Justification of Violence
Courts
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Family Law
Law and Society
Rule of Law
Social Justice
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2460
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3506/viewcontent/Ahmed_Tarek_Hussein_Thesis.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT husseinahmed criminalizingdomesticviolenceinegyptlegalgapsriskconsequencesandtheneedforreform