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Watch H.H. Pope Tawadros II Urge Egyptian Authorities to end the abduction of Coptic Women
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Egypt is one of the largest recipients of US foreign aid. It must be held to account and end this epidemic of targeting the indigenous Christian women of Egypt!
Read Coptic Solidarity's Report on Trafficking in Egypt
'Jihad of the Womb': Trafficking of Coptic Women & Girls in Egypt by Coptic Solidarity
I am writing to you out of deep concern for the safety and well -being of the indigenous Coptic women and minor girls in Egypt who have been increasingly targeted for trafficking, forced marriage, and forced conversion.
This serious human rights abuse has been well-documented with former traffickers confirming that the networks are coordinated by Imams of local mosques and with the complicity of Egyptian police, and that traffickers are paid for every Coptic female they kidnapped.
This targeting and forced conversion of Coptic women is an intentional form of genocide… lowering the number of Christians in Egypt and ensuring that their children are raised as Muslims.
More recently Egyptian police have “found” abducted women, but only after enough international pressure and media attention was garnered in specific cases such as those of married women with children such as Ranya ‘Abd al-Masih and Mary Wahib Joseph who were abducted, forced to wear a hijab and record videos claiming leaving their homes and converting to Islam of their own free will, despite the women clearly being under duress in the recordings. Several other minor girls have also been recently recovered.
These women are fortunate in that they are represent a very small minority of trafficked Coptic women who are recovered. YET, in every instance, the circumstances of them being “found” and returned to their families is extremely murky, and not a single individual involved in the trafficking has been held to account by Egyptian police or the judiciary.
I respectfully urge you to raise the epidemic of trafficking of Coptic women and girls with the Egyptian administration and to call for full accountability for those facilitating and participating in the trafficking networks.
Thanks for your consideration and action on this important issue.
Sincerely,