CAIRO - The recent media and social network reports about assaults on female protesters in clashes with soldiers has led to much debate in Egyptian society. What is this society, with its laws, institutions and taboos, doing to ensure that women have the right to demonstrate without being humiliated? Human rights groups denounce any attacks on women in political demonstrations, but traditional taboos and a conservative society still blame the women if they get assaulted. Wafaa Ali, 52, a retired civil servant, told the Egyptian Mail that it's a girl's fault if she takes part in a demonstration and gets hurt. Many conservative Egyptian families would agree, but is it right for human rights to be ignored and for women to suffer sexual and psychological assaults during military investigations? "Not all Egyptians will disagree with things like the virginity test, although it is against human right, because of the differences in society in terms of people's views, backgrounds, education and religion,” says Professor of Psychology Mahmoud Ghallab. “From a psychological point of view, what Samira Ibrahim did was courageous, whatever society thinks, but other protesters cannot be blamed if they prefer to remain silent to avoid being attacked." Although Samira, known for her courage, won her case against the military who performed a virginity test on her, some people have criticised her for going public about what happened. Samira, who hails from Upper Egypt, said during a recent conference, entitled ‘Military Assaults on Women after the Egyptian Revolution', that what the Military Forces did to her and other protesters should concern every woman in Egypt. “The physical and physiological assaults on my companion and me have had a very bad psychological effect on us,” she added. Rowan el-Shimi, a freelance journalist, refuses to be silent about this. "Of course I condemn the sexual assaults on protesters. I also condemn virginity testing. A hymen is not proof of a woman's virtue, as it can get torn naturally or when women do certain physical sports. In any case, what kind of society do we live in if we impose such tests on women?" she asks. Another journalist, Manar Mohamed, 28, wonders why some people treat such women as blameworthy when really they are victims of this shameful behaviour. Hend Badawi's case is similar. Hend, a student in the Faculty of Education, Benha University, was also one of those physically and physiologically assaulted by soldiers in hospital after being arrested during the sit-in outside the Cabinet on December 9, 2011. According to political activists, such assaults are a tool to prevent female political activists from participating in political protests. The fairer sex made a huge contribution to the Egyptian Revolution, giving new hope that they would be able to participate more freely and have their say without facing any sort of threat. Millions of Egyptians were appalled by the video on Facebook of young veiled woman being cruelly beaten by soldiers. In addition, a new Facebook page entitled ‘We are all Samira Ibrahim' has been launched, to denounce the shameful behaviour of the Army officer who exposed Samira and other demonstrators to the virginity test. According to a report recently published by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, the state of women in early 2011 was very different from their state late last year. The report said that the Egyptian women in photos published by international magazines in articles about the revolution look proud and confident; in articles published last month, they were naked, weak and suffering at the hands of the security forces.
