With female members making up six percent of the body that will draft Egypt's new constitution, The National Council for Women on Wednesday called the poor representation “extremely offensive” in a statement.
Council head Mervat al-Talawy said in the statement that the percentage of females appointed to the assembly does not in any way reflect women’s role in society. The statement stressed that the constitution is for all Egyptians, not exclusively the majority party.
Several liberal figures boycotted the first meeting of the newly selected constituent assembly on Wednesday, accusing Islamists of dominating the committee while excluding a broad swath of other players.
Islamist MPs and prominent figures make up at least 60 percent of the assembly. Six women and six Christians have been appointed to the 100-person committee.
The National Council for Women statement described the number of slots allocated to women as “shameful and an insult to a country as great as Egypt.”
Talawy went further to attack the creation of the assembly, saying that the rules governing its formation were void and illegal, therefore invalidating its decisions because it is not truly representative.
She added that indicators show women are underrepresented in society, including in Parliament and on the assembly.
The female community is not satisfied with this lack of representation, which does not reflect their participation in various walks of life, according to the statement. The council added that the continued policy of marginalizing women is unacceptable.
