More than twenty women organizations and movements and a number of political parties plan to march on Thursday to press for women rights.

Participants will march from Heliopolis Sporting Club to the presidential palace to submit to Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi demands they want included in the constitution including a draft law criminalizing sexual harassment.

"The struggle of Egyptian women for political, social and economic rights was not born today", said a joint statement made by organizers who called on everyone to participate in the march to defend the progress of the women movement.

Activist Samya Jaheen told Aswat Masriya that there needs to be a law against physical violence, pointing to the increase of sexual harassment in Egypt's streets in recent years.  

Meanwhile, Manal Abu al-Hassan, head of the women’s committee of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party said that the ruling party will not take part in the march.

She added however that the committee intends to start awareness campaigns at sporting clubs and schools to educate women on self defense and legal rights.

Abu al-Hassan insisted that preventing sexual harassment falls under the issue of "safe streets" which is included in the president's first-100-days program.

On his part, organizer of the Fouda Watch initiative, Fathy Farid stressed that women will not give up on their demands for full equality in rights and duties as citizens and family members.

Farid asked for a law criminalizing sexual harassment to be issued immediately, pointing to Assiut's victim who was killed during her attempt to defend herself from a sexual offender.

The Popular Social Coalition Party will not participate in the march as it sees that issuing such a law is the responsibility of the legislator and thus the demand must wait until a new parliament is present.  

The National Council for Women announced on Monday that it plans to take part in the march which has been named "Egypt's Women Day".