Egypt Opens First Psychotherapy Clinic for Female Victims of Abuse

The Ministry of Health and Population has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind psychotherapy clinic dedicated to abused women in Cairo’s Ahalina neighborhood. Dubbed ‘The Safe Woman Clinic’, the project comes as a result of a collaboration between the National Council for Women, the United Nations Population Fund and the Mental Health Secretariat, a Nasr City-based organisation that aims to raise awareness around mental health.

In the first phase of the project, a total of 20 different clinic branches will be established across various neighbourhoods by the end of 2022, before more clinics are built nationwide in 2023.

The Ministry of Health and Population has already started the first round of training for the first batch of mental health professionals,  who will be charged with providing mental health support and  first aid assistance when needed, as well as counseling training.

The clinic is open to women above the ages of 18 and aims to foster a safe space for victims to talk openly about their experiences. The clinic will also provide legal assistance and run educational programs on what constitutes abuse, how to identify it and even how to protect yourself against it.

The Safe Woman Clinic comes as a welcome addition to the often failing fight against abuse, but there’s still much work to be done. And while the sheer number of planned clinics is impressive, success will only be achieved once we need none at all.