Girls in Egypt box against violence and prejudice

There is a phrase you often hear from the girls at the Impact Academy in Cairo.

“I won’t stop until I’m a champion.”

The girls in Cairo learning to box seem determined and confident. It could be an everyday scene, a training session like any other—but it’s not.

Many of the girls in southern Cairo come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. They often experience gender-based violence and are pressured to marry at a very young age—usually at the expense of their education and independence.

Choosing boxing, a male-dominated sport in a traditional society, is tantamount to rebellion. The Impact Academy offers the girls much more than just training. It is a safe space where they also receive psychological support.

“I used to be quite timid, but now I have more self-confidence,” says Salma.

The 17-year-old has been at the academy since 2023. She used to be bullied, partly because her skin is darker than most of the others, and she was also abused.

Since Salma has started boxing, she has been left in peace by her bullies, who are now afraid of her. Salma also feels accepted for who she is by her fellow students at the academy.

“I feel unconditionally loved by my friends here,” Salma says.

A ‘good life’ for the girls

The idea for the academy’s holistic approach came from Sally Hassona. The 49-year-old coach has a background in boxing herself. Hassona works full-time as a sports teacher at a private school and is a member of the Egyptian ministry of sports’ selection committee, which trains boxing talent for the country’s Olympic team.

In 2017, Hassona founded the academy, where girls can train three times a week – in a used boxing ring and with a few old sandbags. Around 25 girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 23 are involved, but not everyone comes to every training session.

Hassona is not paid for her work. But money is not what matters to her.

“I just want the girls to have a good life, to get away from their stigma,” Hassona says.

‘Boxing gives us self-confidence’

Women in Egypt continue to be structurally disadvantaged and are very often subjected to sexual harassment, as the 2013 comprehensive study on this topic from the United Nations agency UN Women showed. In it, 99.3% of Egyptian girls and women stated that they had been sexually harassed at least once, while 91% did not feel safe on the streets.

“There are many dangers for women and girls here. Boxing gives us self-confidence and makes us feel strong. It’s good to know how to fight someone,” says Hana Abdel Bary, one of the academy’s team captains.

“But we also learn to set boundaries and protect ourselves.”

Because even though the girls can knock someone out in the ring, Hassona advises them to avoid dangerous situations and run away instead.

Abdel Bary is constantly reminded that it is not “normal” for girls to box.

“Every time I go to the doctor and say that I box, they comment on it,” she says. “Some are proud, but others say nasty things.”

However, she receives support from home. Her father was the boxer Saleh Abdel Bary who competed twice for Egypt at the Olympics.

Training for independent living alongside boxing

Although sport is the main focus, it is not the only thing the girls learn at the academy.

“Sally always emphasizes that boxing is not a profession. She pushes us to learn languages or whatever else we want to learn,” says Hana.

Hassona tries to work with the girls to find out what they enjoy doing and what their goals are, and encourages them to try their hand at male-dominated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

Hanin wants to become an electrical engineer. She is currently doing a paid internship at a company that manufactures air conditioning systems.

“When parents don’t have money and can no longer ‘afford’ their children, they try to marry them off as early as possible,” says Hassona.

Focus on mental health

Hassona regularly applies for various grants for the academy. It currently receives financial support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, a Canadian government program that supports local projects around the world. The grant amounts to 31,000 Canadian dollars (€19,800, $22,800).

Under the slogan “Play It Brave,” the Impact Academy focuses on mental health and gender-based violence. Several mental health coaches, a psychologist, and a doctor educate the girls about hygiene, health, and menstruation. The latter is still a big taboo in Egypt.

“Many think they can’t or aren’t allowed to go to school when they have their periods,” says the doctor.

16-year-old as a great sporting hope

Around 400 girls have passed through the academy over the years. Aya Hassan Najjar, 16, is one of Hassona’s great hopes. Since joining the academy around five years ago, she has twice taken first place in a national Egyptian competition and once came third in an African competition.

“Of course I want to become a professional boxer, but I also want to perfect my English and German,” says Aya.

Her goal is to go to Germany to study medicine and become a veterinarian.

“I want to help the stray cats and dogs here in Egypt. The animals can’t speak for themselves,” she says.

It was only in September 2025 that the Egyptian Ministry of Sports confirmed that it was working to increase women’s participation in sports through special initiatives, as reported by Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online.

But deeper structural change in society takes time. Hassona doesn’t even dream of that. She wants her own building.

“Like this one, behind the football field,” she says, pointing to a simple, long house. With a room for training, one for relaxation with a sauna.

“Maybe I could extend the concept to rugby,” Hassona says.

This article was originally published in German.