The Ecology of Leadership

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) is an independent Egyptian human rights organization that was established in 2002 to promote and defend the personal rights and freedoms of individuals.

Vision

The EIPR was established to complement the work of Egyptian human rights groups by adopting as its mandate, and focus of concern, a group of rights and freedoms that are closest to the human-being: his/her body, privacy and house. These rights often are ignored or overlooked. We believe that the crucial importance of public and political rights must be grounded in an understanding of the indispensability of full protection for personal rights. EIPR activists share a notion that the individual is not reducible to a mere component of the community or the State. Therefore, responsibilities and duties that result from the individual's belonging to his/her community and State should affirm, not destroy, the individual's capacity to make choices and maintain independence as a free entity. Each member of society deserves respect for her or his personal dignity and integrity. Thus, we aim to explore the line between private and public in the lives of individual members of community and society, while realizing the interrelation and interdependence of these two spheres. We also attempt to promote a debate about the State's legitimate powers and the areas it should not invade while undertaking its legitimate responsibilities to protect people from abuse.

Mechanism of Operation

The EIPR works through research, advocacy and litigation to promote and defend the rights to privacy, religious freedom, health and bodily integrity.

Programs

Right to Privacy
This program covers a group of rights that are related to the private lives of individuals, including their rights to secrecy of communications and correspondence, to freedom of religion and belief, to protection of reputation, and to adequate housing; in addition to sexual and reproductive rights of women and men.

Freedom of Religion and Belief

Since 2004, the EIPR has been monitoring the situation of religious freedoms in Egypt and working through field research, media monitoring and legal advocacy to identify trends in the violations of the right to freedom of religion and belief. While other civil society and human rights organizations in Egypt occasionally produce research or statements on certain aspects of religious freedom, no other NGO systematically monitors the right to freedom of religion and belief.

Health and Human Rights
The EIPR considers the enjoyment of the right to health to be a prerequisite for the enjoyment of other bodily rights. This program promotes and defends people's right to access to health services, treatment and essential medicines and freedom from discrimination based on health status. Other subjects of concern include HIV/AIDS and human rights, the interrelation between health and violence, and reproductive health issues in Egypt.