CAIRO: Thousands took to the streets in Egypt to protest against the military junta. By late Wednesday night, the conversation had turned away from the military council and on to Egypt's most pressing social problem: sexual violence against women. At least four women have been reported to have had their clothes ripped from their bodies, assault and groped endlessly by mobs of men in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Certainly more reports of assaults will flood editors' email in the coming days. It seems whenever there is a mass protest in Egypt it is accompanied by attacks against women. (Read here for details on the sexual violence against women on the January 25 anniversary) This is not a new problem. In fact, the problem has been simmering silently since 2006 fall, when dozens of men and boys attacked and assaulted women outside a downtown Cairo cinema. In a mob style attack, the perpetrators attempted to grope and tear at any passing woman's clothes in the October attack. Eyewitnesses and citizen reporters' pictures were clear proof that the terror against women had taken place. But Egyptian society, despite a few weeks of heated discussion, has remained largely silent. One need not look to mob-style attacks, which have occurred at nearly every celebration or holiday in the country for four years and beyond. The facts on the ground, facing everyday women in Egypt are appalling at best. I have heard women tell stories of taking their attacker to the police station, only to be told by officers there that there really wasn't anything they could do; courts would take too long. “Can you imagine if this had happened to a diplomat's wife, or a foreigner?” one of the officers told a 30-year-old Egyptian woman. Egyptians have attempted to avoid the situation plaguing society for far too long. If it happens to a foreigner, they apologize, but if it happens to their sister, their mother, their girlfriend, their spouse, there has always been a tacit denial of any real problem. Instead of trying to save face, what should be happening is a real dialogue, a real open discussion about the causes of sexual violence in society. Without one, these women will not be the last victims of sexual brutality. According to a 2008 study published by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) 60 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women are harassed on a daily basis. The ECWR warned that harassing foreign women would lead to the loss of millions of pounds. A number of foreigners said they would never return to Egypt. 14 percent of all foreign women said they would either never return to Egypt or tell their friends not to visit. While the most recent incidents should not damper the will of the Egyptian people to join forces in magnificent street demonstrations that rid the country of one dictator already, it can no longer be avoided. Sexual violence is not an aberration to Egypt. It has a deep-rooted history that must not be avoided through apologies. It has to be faced head on. In the end, let us hope that this is the final “wake-up” call for Egyptian society to tackle this problem. Far too many women have been battered, beaten and raped in Egypt to allow it to continue. The very future of Egyptian society and a bright, prosperous future, could very well depend on how women are treated and empowered in the post-Mubarak Egypt. There can be no revolution without women's empowerment. Plain and simple. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/7IC75 Tags: Jan25, Sexual Violence, Tahrir Section: Egypt, Latest News, Op-ed, Sexual Harassment, Women
