CAIRO: I am not the first or the only woman to experience the insult of sexual harassment in Egypt. Neither was Lara Logan, the CBS news reporter who was assaulted and beaten by a group of men while covering the celebration the day Mubarak resigned. The West's proximity to Logan's case is what opened their eyes in realizing that this issue even exists, whereas before, most were ignorant of it. The attack on Logan was awful, as it would be on any woman, but the unfortunate truth is that it happens all too often. Studies show that 83 percent of Egyptian women reported exposure to harassment, while 98 percent of foreign women stated they had been sexually harassed while in Egypt. Though studies may be confirmed and carefully-collected data, there are still gaps in these digits which reveal that many cases of harassment go unreported. A factor in this silence is the shame in Arab culture in speaking about sexual harassment publicly, as it is socially unmentionable. Further marginalization of this issue comes from the old regime to a point where lack of public awareness and lack of will to acknowledge harassment as an important subject become extremely frustrating for women. Women in Egypt are often brushed aside by police if and when they decide to take in their harasser to a police station for him to assume responsibility for his doing. Two things counteract the woman's objective in this situation; the man who committed harassment does not own up to his actions, and the police will often add to the man's position and deny the allegation altogether. What is even worse is that women who are sexually harassed are often blamed for provoking the man to stare, grope, or act otherwise inexcusably. To blame the victim rather than the perpetrator is unacceptable, though many, both men and women, support this way of thinking. Justin D. Martin, journalism professor at the American University in Cairo, supports this with data from a 2008 survey. “Nearly two-thirds of Egyptian men admitted to sexually harassing women – and half blamed the women themselves.” Additionally, according to data from The Population Council, almost “80 percent of Egyptian boys and men agreed that a woman who is harassed deserves it if she had dressed provocatively. 73 percent of similar-aged females also claimed that immodestly dressed women deserve any abuse they endure.” As an Egyptian woman who faced sexual harassment both as a woman covering her hair in hijab, or the headscarf, as well as a liberal (though modest) dresser, I can testify that a woman's dress is in no way related to whether or not she is harassed in Cairo. As a high school student in hijab I was harassed and made just as uncomfortable in my summer visits as I was, not wearing it years later living in the country. I speak from my personal experiences when I say that I would take measures to avoid eye contact, listening, or “provoking” men to make inappropriate remarks or gestures that are not even within my control in the first place. Sunglasses to block glances, headphones always on, choosing my outfits and the streets I walk on carefully; none of which protected me or kept me safe. The problem is that not a single woman is immune. In 2010, Mohamed Diab, Egyptian screenwriter released an important film that accurately depicts sexual harassment titled 678. In one of the scenes, a harasser is being interrogated by an officer, and when asked what the woman he assaulted looked like, he replied that he did not pay attention to what her face looked like, he did not care. Although this is a film, it is very much true to what happens in reality, which only plays into my belief that no one has immunity from harassment. Further, I personally feel that legislation may only get so far, and is not always guaranteed to be implemented justly. Though there are no laws currently effective in protecting women from harassment or to establish consequences for men who commit such acts, I feel the problem is deeper than the law. Egyptian society is very family-oriented, and what is learned and taught within the home and among the family is mostly what the male acts on from a very young age. In a home where the level of education is poor and the older members of the family are ignorant, misinterpretation of religious text is common, and as a result, respect for women is not really emphasized in such a lifestyle, therefore it is lost. In addition to legislation against sexual harassment, what I think Egyptian men really need is a revolution in their mentality, especially that towards the way they treat others with particular regard to women. What they do not realize is that these women are their sisters, daughters, mothers and wives. They need to acknowledge sexually inappropriate behavior as unjustifiable and as the fault of the initiator, not the victim. It is an issue of humanity and is not impossible to prevent, which is what Egyptian women are now (and have been) working towards. Long Live #Jan25 What happened on the 25th of January, the start of the 18-day youth-led revolution against the oppression, corruption and socioeconomic backwardness the country had been silently enduring for the last 30 years, was just the light at the beginning of a long tunnel. A road that with newfound hope, will eventually lead to gender equality. During the revolution as the world may know, men and women of all ages stayed in Tahrir Square overnight, where they would sleep side by side, wake up and protest together during the day. Peacefully. Unified. With little to no sexual harassment heard or spoken of from either gender. Religion, gender and age did not matter; rather there was a collective sense of nationalism that concentrated on the commonality of the people under one flag, not divided into separate groups. With this balance between the Egyptians, the people protected one another and the country felt like an overpopulated community. The bounds of fear and oppression broke, along with the need to oppress each other. Egyptian filmmaker Salma El Tarzi told Al Jazeera shortly after Mubarak stepped down, “Something changed in the dynamic between men and women in Tahrir. When the men saw that women were fighting on the front line that changed their perception of us and we were all united. We were all Egyptians now.” Feeling this positive spirit as a product of the revolution gave hope to the women of Egypt. We were all certain that change was inevitable, but now this progression included the treatment of women. But of course it never comes that easily. In Egypt We Trust Since the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian Military is the authority over the nation. With no other option, Egyptians are forced to trust the Army and believe that their intention is solely for the good of the people. However, this is not necessarily the case. Among other incidents, Amnesty International, on the 23rd of March reported one scenario that completely infuriated many women including myself. A few weeks before the report was published there was a feminist protest in Tahrir Square, demanding gender equality and fair treatment of women, and it was a way for women to initiate their involvement in the upcoming political parties and cabinets. In response to these protests, Army officers arrested a number of the women involved, after which they were violently beaten, given electric shocks and subject to strip searches. The strip searches were carried out in front of male officers, and were followed by forced virginity tests. Based on the Amnesty International report, “The women were then subjected to ‘virginity tests' in a different room by a man in a white coat. They were threatened that ‘those not found to be virgins' would be charged with prostitution.” This is the Egyptian Army. This is presently the interim authority until parliamentary and presidential elections in September. This is who the Egyptian people are supposed to trust and believe in. Yet we have no choice but to comply, otherwise the country will dive head-first into chaos. What happened to the women in Tahrir that day is repulsive and barbaric, and activists as well as human's rights organizations are putting in much work to bring justice to the victims of that military attack. In addition to these efforts, there is a volunteer initiative called HarassMap that compliments the use of the internet and social media that was used in organizing and spreading the revolution. The aim of this initiative is to spread awareness of sexual harassment and end its social acceptability in Egypt. Its interactivity with victims of harassment is via mobile phone. HarassMap has set up an online reporting service where a victim of harassment can send a text message or use Twitter to report an incident of harassment, including their geographical location. Volunteers of the movement then target these areas and work to change the environment that allows harassment cases to happen. It reinforces a sense of community and highlights the importance in the issue of sexual harassment through the involvement of people in that area in becoming watchful and vocal about what they see. This is an important effort especially after the revolution where all Egyptians now believe in the power of the people and that it can truly bring about great change. With the combination of hope, social tools and communication, and a renewed sense of patriotism, Egyptians must keep working towards the equality and justice that has been long awaited. The revolution has only just begun. BM
