The ECWR study defines three types of sexual harassers: The "authoritative" harasser : One type of harasser who seeks to establish his authority over his victim and forces her to obey. Among these are employers and police officers. The "manly" harasser : He takes advantage of chauvinistic morals backed by some cultures. He harasses just to prove his power over the so-called weaker sex. The "sexually driven" harasser : He seeks to satisfy his sexual needs regardless of the victims' feelings. He sees every woman as his sex object and prefers strangers, hence uses public places to act. Types of Abuse: Sixty-eight per cent of women surveyed were subjected to whistles and verbal abuse, 47 per cent faced indecent looks directed towards their bodies, 40 per cent were touched, 30 per cent were verbally harassed, followed and stalked, 23 per cent received obscene phone calls, and 11 per cent were subjected to the full view of harassers' organs. The dress code: Forty per cent of victims were veiled women wearing short blouses and long skirts, followed by veiled ones wearing a long blouse or tunic and trousers (21 per cent), and then by veiled women wearing a traditional abaya covering the whole body (20 per cent). This proves that harassment has absolutely no relation to how revealing or conservative a woman's clothing is. The impact: Psychological: The psychological impact of sexual harassment is significant. The victim feels angry and scared, hurt, then embarrassed and confused, and finally depressed. Some women also develop headaches, find it hard to sleep at night and even start having nightmares. Socioeconomic: 42 per cent of Egyptian women and 74 per cent of foreigners have altered their behaviour towards others as a result of sexual harassment. Tourism: The study revealed that foreign women had a preconceived notion of harassment in Egypt before they arrived. Of the foreign respondents 66 per cent thought it had a negative impact on the way they viewed Egypt -- but that it would not prevent them from revisiting. Meanwhile, 17 per cent said sexual harassment had left no negative impact, while seven per cent were considering leaving Egypt for good. Sadly almost five per cent said they would advise their friends not to come to Egypt. Inside the harasser's mind: - 62.4 per cent of interviewed men have sexually harassed women one way or another. - 69 per cent of male harassers commit their deed on the street. - 42 per cent blame their behaviour on sexual frustration, while 23 per cent consider harassment to be proof of their masculinity. - 54 per cent of harassers blame women for wearing indecent attire, which negates the fact that most of their victims are in fact veiled. - 42 per cent blame harassment on women's beauty, while 32 per cent said women initiated it, 31 per cent said that women love to be admired, and 28 per cent wanted to satisfy their own desires. - 88 per cent of male participants said they have been witness to sexual harassment in public places but 61 per cent ignored the incident. Only 0.1 per cent agreed to help a victim beat her harasser, or escorted her to the police station. - When asked the reasons why they were passive, 48 per cent said it was none of their business. Some said women want to be harassed, while others honestly answered that they themselves harass women sometimes, hence had no right to prevent it. Source: Clouds in Egypt's Sky , a study conducted by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR), published in June 2008. The study was conducted on 2020 Egyptians from both sexes, as well as foreign women resident in Egypt.
