In Egypt too many people live in cemeteries and shanty town tin houses. , many live in much more dire circumstances. The streets are full of homeless people. Many live under bridges. In Egypt, bridges play a very important role and serve multiple purposes. The destitute use them as shelters or to relieve themselves. The space leading up to a bridge can also be turned it into a cultural place, like el-Sawy Culture Wheel in Zamalek. But the most dangerous places in Egypt are the slums. According to the government, there are over 1200 slums in Egypt, 171 in Greater Cairo alone. When mentioning shantytowns, we talk about millions of people who have been suffering from utter neglect for many years, who live in mud brick dwellings and informal settlements. Most slum-dwellers are not able to offer their children education and healthy food. The number of slum residents in Egypt is around 12 million, but accurate figures are almost impossible to obtain. Many children who live there do not have birth certificates or anything to prove they are Egyptians or legally in the country, according to Amnesty International

.A recent study by the National Centre for Social and Criminal Research stated that slum dwellers in Egypt live in abject poverty and suffer from illnesses like asthma, allergies and renal failure due to lack of sanitation and safe drinking water.

Although Egypt may be going through a transitional period, it does not mean that the needs of those struggling to live in dignity should not be urgently addressed, experts warn. Around 9 per cent of Egypt’s workforce of 26.2 million are unemployed, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics CAPMAS. Out of the 1200 slums in Egypt, 420 are deemed unsafe, according CAPMAS.

sameh farouk     [email protected]

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