Gehad Hamdy

Gehad Hamdy
NationalityEgyptian
Alma materOctober University for Modern Sciences and Arts
Occupation(s)Dentist, activist
Known forSpeak Up organization
AwardsBBC 100 Women (2022)

Gehad Hamdy is an Egyptian dentist and feminist activist working against gender based violence. She was named as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2022. She founded Speak Up and is one of the leaders of Connecting Humanity.[1]

Hamdy received a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from October University for Modern Sciences and Arts.[2]

Career

Speak Up

Hamdy founded Speak Up in 2020, a feminist initiative that works through social networks to identify aggressors of gender violence, sexual harassment and rape.[3] Speak Up encourages women to speak out about harassment,[4][5][6] provide legal and emotional support.[7][8][9] It also pressures authorities to prosecute[10][11] and change laws, and highlights narritives of rape culture in the media.[12][13][14] Speak Up was involved in the criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt in March 2021 and the prosecution of Michael Fahmy for sexually assaulting 6 girls.[15][16][17][18]

Connecting Humanity

Hamdy is one of the leaders of Connecting Humanity, an activist collective which provides internet access to people in Gaza using donated eSIMs, allowing them to connect to networks outside of Gaza.[19][20][21]

Awards

  • BBC 100 list of "inspiring and influential women", 2022[1]
  • Gold Award Winner: Social Change Maker of the Year in Gender by The Stevie Awards, 2022[2]
  • Finalist for the Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination award at the World Justice Forum, 2022[2]
  • Finalist for Aidex Humanitarian Hero Award, 2022[2]
  • The Changemaker and The Humanitarian awards by Women SME Leaders Awards by Entrepreneur Middle East and Mastercard, 2022[2]
  • International Humanitarian award by Women4Africa, 2021[2]
  • Finalist for the Women Empowerment Award by Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), 2021[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Gehad Hamdy". Vital Voices. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Founder of Egypt's Speak Up: 'Sexual harassment is a daily fight, but change is happening'". Global Voices. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Por que assédio de médico brasileiro preso no Egito revoltou árabes". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  5. ^ admin (9 March 2023). "Gehad Hamdy: Supporting Egyptian Women from Sexual Harassment". Tycoon Success. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Can social media help in the fight against sexual harassment in Egypt?". Open Democracy.
  7. ^ "The hashtag "Mary's body is hers" tops social media and revives the discussion about women's rights in Egyptian law". EuroNews.
  8. ^ "'My husband was an angel – then he raped me'". BBC News. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  9. ^ "From a post to an initiative... Get to know those demanding both women's and men's rights". elbalad.news. 19 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Victor Sorrentino oferecia consultas em Portugal sem ter diploma validado no país". Revista Marie Claire (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 August 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  11. ^ ""Uma luta diária e constante", diz ativista egípcia após prisão de brasileiro". Revista Marie Claire (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 August 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  12. ^ Berger, Miriam (30 December 2021). "The car ad tried to extol its HD camera. Instead, it promoted sexual harassment in Egypt, critics say". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  13. ^ Fustany. ""Speak Up" Founder Gehad Hamdy's Journey: Overcoming Obstacles to Support Victims of Violence". api.fustany.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Mobilização para denunciar médico no Egito envolveu brasileiros e ativistas feministas egípcias". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ ElGendy, Abdelrahman (26 December 2022). "Women's Rights Groups in Egypt and Lebanon Take Aim at Saad Lamjarred". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  16. ^ says, Egyptian Sheikh Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Raping a 10-Year-Old Girl | Egyptian Streets (10 November 2021). "Michael Fahmy Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Sexually Assaulting Underage Coptic Girls | Egyptian Streets". Retrieved 16 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Egyptian Doctor Michael Fahmy receives life imprisonment for sexually assaulting 6 girls". El-Shai. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  18. ^ "The disturbing case of Michael Fahmy, a sexual predator who spent 20 years preying on Coptic Orthodox girls". www.italianinsider.it. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  19. ^ Shabana, Yasmin (7 December 2023). "Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are staying connected to the world via donated eSIMs". Quartz. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  20. ^ Vo, Lam Thuy (7 November 2023). "'Let Me Tell Them Goodbye Before They Get Killed': How eSIM Cards Are Connecting Palestinian Families – The Markup". themarkup.org. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  21. ^ Kershner, Isabel; Nereim, Vivian; Shankar, Vivek; Rogers, Katie (29 October 2023). "Gazans had no cell service. An effort led from Egypt helped reconnect them". The New York Times.