Anti-violence against Women Unit explains its mechanisms in the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University

The Community Service and Environmental Development Sector at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, in conjunction with the global campaign "16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence", in cooperation with Anti-violence against Women Unit at the university, organized a symposium entitled "Combating Violence against Women", under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of the University, Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President of Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Hisham Temraz, Vice President of Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the Faculty, and the supervision of Prof. Dr. Youmna Safwat, Vice Dean of Community Service and Environmental Development, and Prof. Dr. Hind Al-Hilali, Director of the Anti-violence against Women Unit at the university.

Prof. Dr. Yomna Safwat, Vice Dean of Community Service and Environmental Development, stressed during her opening speech that violence against women is one of the most dangerous phenomena that negatively affects the family. Moreover, violence against women and girls has psychological consequences, which prevents their full participation in society.

Within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Faculty of Al-Alsun was keen to host the Anti-violence against Women Unit at Ain Shams University to educate faculty staff and students about the role of the unit in combating all types of violence that girls and women may be exposed to on campus in order to provide a safe environment for them.

Prof. Dr. Hind Al-Hilali, Director of the Unit, explained during the introductory symposium what the unit is, its objectives, activities, mechanisms and strategies for working in it, and how to transfer cases of harassment, violence and bullying from specialists in faculties, units and centers at the university to it and the role it plays, in addition to the services it provides.

Prof. Dr. Hind Al-Hilali pointed out the role of the university in taking all measures and how to deal with cases that have been subjected to violence, bullying or harassment from the psychological and social aspect, and how these cases are transferred to the unit to take the necessary legal measures through the Legal Committee and the Psychological Support Committee as well as the Training and Capacity Development Committee, the Social Committee, and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Dr. Hind Al-Hilali, announced the participation of Ain Shams University in the 16-day campaign, starting from November 24 to December 10, launched by the National Council for Women, it consists of two grants. The best female students participating in the university are selected to participate in workshops for psychological and personal capabilities from certified trainers of the simulation model of the National Council for Women. The other grant is the artistic competition at the level of Egyptian university students for work related to women’s issues such as drawing and writing a story, sculpture, and any artwork related to women.

She reviewed the unit's most important achievements and how it works inside and outside the university campus, as the first unit at the level of Egyptian universities, based on scientific foundations to combat all forms of violence against women inside the university, and submits its reports to the university president directly to take deterrent measures against any student or professor who has issued an attitude that is not appropriate for him to act on the university campus, and this step is considered the strength and support provided by the university, after presenting to consultants and writing the report, in addition to working to calm the girl and confront her problem.

In some cases of verbal harassment, an informal complaint can be submitted through the anti-harassment officer, and the student against whom the complaint is directed is summoned and referred to a disciplinary committee.

Prof. Dr. Hoda Helal, Environmental Accounting Consultant, and Director of the Green Transformation Unit at the University’s, Faculty of Environmental Studies, talked about the importance of separating and reusing waste, as the state incurs about 17 billion pounds annually to dispose of waste, and by circulating it, a return of up to 10 billion pounds can be achieved annually. , such as waste paper and re-producing it again to make cardboard paper and several things of great value through waste, pointing to the project of planting roofs with light crops that are harvested within a week or ten days, and a return of about 1,000 pounds per month for the family.

Dr. Amani Abdel-Al, a clinical psychologist and art therapist and a consultant for window trainers in the unit, explained that the basic training is how to get out of psychological and physical danger situations, and art therapy relies on theater exercises to discuss violence against women.

In addition to the "Siko Drama" exercises, to liberate the feelings that the girl has experienced since childhood and remove the accumulations that occur in the girl's life, stressing the importance of unloading those pent-up energies through her, through plastic art, and workshops that in turn open an outlet for the girl's feelings to unload her negative energies.

These steps are one of the most important steps for overcoming difficulties, as well as the importance of learning how to measure reactions appropriately to situations, exploiting strengths in oneself and supporting and harnessing weaknesses to enjoy an ideal life.

The symposium witnessed a practical training session for twenty students on the use of self-defense methods and WenDo.