Waleed Hammad dressed conservatively for his secret mission into the world of sexual harassment and abuse on the streets of Cairo, donning a long tan skirt and sleeved shirt, and at times covering his head like many Egyptian women. The 24-year-old actor walked the sidewalks, hidden cameras in tow, for an investigative television report, hoping the broadcast would enlighten national debate about how to combat deep-rooted day-to-day sexual harassment and abuse in this patriarchal society. Initiatives to counter the problem have mushroomed in recent months. Vigilante groups have started protecting women at gatherings, particularly at large protests or during national holidays when groping and harassment in crowds is at an all-time high. Activists have offered self-defence classes for women. Social network sites have been started where women can “name and shame" their harassers. On the other side of the debate are conservative religious clerics and some government officials who blame women, saying they invite harassment and sexual abuse by mixing with men. Their comments have inflamed the discourse, particularly at a time when Egypt's volatile and polarized politics blur social and political issues following the 2011 uprising that ousted long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. As he strolled, Mr. Hammad, who wore light makeup to conceal hints of facial hair and accentuate his eyes, was hissed at and verbally abused. In one instance – when he was wearing a head veil – he was taken for a prostitute and offered up to 4,000 Egyptian pounds ($575 U.S.) for one night. His report aired earlier this month on Awel el Kheit or “the Thread" on the private TV station ONTV. “I can go wherever I want, do whatever I want very simply, very easily, very casually," Mr. Hammad said. “For a woman, it boils down to her having to focus on how she breathes while she is walking. It is not just the walk. It is not just the clothes. It is not what she says or how she looks." As a woman walking down the street, “you have to be in a constant state of alertness." This week, at a public meeting to make recommendations to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on how to address the problem, Omaima Kamel, presidential adviser on women's affairs, said she was seeking realistic statistics on violence against women because she sensed real exaggeration of the numbers reported by some research centres. Ms. Kamel is a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which emerged as the most powerful political faction in Egypt since the uprising. The group has recently criticized a United Nations document being drafted on violence against women. The Brotherhood said it was “deceitful," clashed with Islamic principles and undermined family values. The Brotherhood said it advocated sexual freedoms for women and the right to abortion “under the guise of sexual and reproductive rights." Besides the daily experience of harassment on the streets of Egypt, sexual assaults at anti-government protests, where women have been groped, stripped and even raped, have risen both in number and intensity during the past year of continued unrest in Egypt. The UN said it had reports of 25 sexual assaults on women at political rallies at Tahrir Square, the centre of the uprising, in one week early this year. Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, which patrolled the square, reported 19 incidents alone on Jan. 25 – the second anniversary of the start of the uprising – including a case of a teenager raped with a bladed instrument. Theglobeandmail
