Amnesty International has launched campaign to put pressure on Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to increase female involvement in the political process. The organization called on all citizens of the world to sign a petition to Sharaf asking him not to marginalize women in lead up to parliamentary elections scheduled for September. Amnesty said in a statement Wednesday that women played an equal part in the Egyptian Revolution. The statement emphasized that women have the right to participate in shaping the future of their country on an equal footing with men. It also demanded citizens' signatures to request that Sharaf respect women's rights and not their exclusion from the reform process. The human rights organization said that it is unacceptable to form a national committee to write constitutional amendments made up of men only. Amnesty said women should be granted the right to actively participate in all processes of political reform and human rights, stressing that real change will not be effective if discrimination against women continues.
