How many times has an Egyptian woman yelled at a man for staring, looking her up and down, only to receive laughter and more taunts? Too often. It is the everyday life for an Egyptian woman. During the 18 days of uprising that led to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak over two long years ago, sexual violence against women was non-existent. That might have been the only 18 days in Egypt's recent history where women were safe to walk the streets of the country. Today, after months of ongoing horrific sexual violence in and around Tahrir Square against female protesters, harassment and other violations elsewhere – in the shadows of public view – Egyptian women will once again face an International Women's Day on March 8 with little hope. Simply put, Egypt is a country where men hate women. While we have seen some protests for women's rights, including the Global Protest Feb 12 that saw thousands of women across the globe speak out against the violence perpetrated against women in Tahrir, the resounding silence that has befallen the country and the plight of women has again taken hold. Undoubtedly, those boisterous voices who claimed “this is not Egypt” will again sound off when the next woman is raped, brutally assaulted or harassed in the square. It is an unfortunate cyclical historical period we are living through, and Egyptian women are suffering for it. Women have had much optimism over their status in the country, political and socially, although this has largely turned to pessimism in recent times. Now, as the country moves past the two-year anniversary of the uprising's beginning, women in Egypt continue to face hardship and in many ways their position in society has decreased in the past two years. Think about the recent statement made by the human rights committee of the Shura Council (upper house of the parliament) about the recent increase of sexual violence and harassment targeting female protesters and activists. They argued women were asking to be raped and assaulted in the square. True story. And it is not just Egyptian female activists who face violence, it is all women, everywhere, including in their homes. “We are attacked and the police either stand by or do nothing and laugh as men say disgusting things at women, grab our chests or behinds, so I am definitely not convinced yet," said 22-year-old Cairo University student Diana Zaky. She told Bikyanews.com that when she asked police to intervene after three young boys were harassing her in Giza near the university, “they just told me to go home and didn't move to help." The ministry also said that surveillance cameras would be put up across the country and additional security patrols appointed to “guarantee the immediate capture of sexual offenders," said Egypt's National Council for Women. Female specialist officers and social researchers will be appointed in different police departments to provide an appropriate atmosphere during investigations with women in sensitive cases, it added. Chairwoman of the National Council for Women, Mervat al-Talawy, reportedly met with the Interior Minister and asked for harsher efforts to protect women from sexual harassment. The question for many Egyptian women is whether an effort like this will produce results, after numerous campaigns in recent years have fallen on deaf ears. One incident that sparked a fervor of worries occurred near the Pizza Hut on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, with dozens of men allegedly brutally assaulting a woman on the street. According to a doctor, the woman was the victim of “mass rape." While the incident was reported on Twitter, a group of male protesters reportedly intervened and were able to remove the woman from the assault. Those who first revealed the incident refused to speak to the media, including Bikyanews.com on the incident, but it again highlighted the fear women have of taking to Tahrir during mass protests. Other women on the micro-blogging site and on Facebook reported being groped and harassed while they were in Tahrir, including a number of female journalists. As crowds continue to maintain positions in Tahrir in opposition to President Mohamed Morsi's decrees that put him above the rule of law, women's safety is again a growing concern. Unfortunately, this is a never-ending problem facing Egyptian women when large demonstrations are called for in central Cairo. In June, an anti-sexual harassment demonstration organized by over 20 Egyptian women's groups in protest against the recent escalation of assaults in Cairo's Tahrir Square was attacked about an hour and half after it began by unknown troublemakers. The participants reported being attacked by a mob of “thugs" who attempted to throw rocks and glass at them, but the clash was over quickly as volunteers securing the protest intervened to stop it. This was not the first time a women's rights march was attacked in Tahrir Square. Last March, and on International Women's Day, a march of tens of women was attacked by a cynical mob of men who did not like women protesting for more rights. Several female protesters were injured and one woman had to have 8 stitches in her head. Almost all of them were groped and sexually assaulted in the attack. A 2008 study by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) found that well over two-thirds of Egyptian women are sexually harassed daily in the country. The participants held signs that read “It is my right to protest safely," “Groping your sister is shameful for the square" and “Be a man and protect her instead of harassing her." “We are fed up," protester Mai Abdel Hafez, 24, told Bikyanews.com. “We came to deliver a message that it is our right to protest and we will not avoid the square in fear of harassment," she said right before the attack took place. Constitution Also on the minds of women in Egypt is the recently approved constitution, which many critics say will reduce women's rights in the country. Womens groups in Egypt rejected the constitutional draft and dubbed it “disastrous." It pushes women back at least a hundred years and puts critical issues into vague statements. The constitution does not put a minimum age for marriage, ignores restrict child labor laws and does not ensure freedom of religion. The local feminist organization, Baheya Ya Masr, had said that by pushing the constitution forward without widespread national consensus was a threat to women in the country. The group said they feared that the constitution would pave the way for “political Islam," which they argued would leave out most basic principles of democracy and transparency. The group said in a statement published ahead of December 15, 2012′s referendum on the draft constitution that they have observed through reading the draft that it will leave women on the outside of their basic rights. The group said that the draft constitution included some “ticking bombs" for women and children, slamming articles 2, 4, 219 which maintain that Islamic law as the main source of legislation and grants Al-Azhar the power of jurisdiction. As a result of the growing tide of sexual violence perpetrated against women and a lack of guarantees for their inalienable rights in the draft constitution, women in Egypt are facing as uncertain a future as they have in modern times. Simply put, in Egypt, men hate women. True story. BN
