It seems that harassment has become a big issue, particularly during feasts. Many initiatives and movements were actively involved in fighting harassment last week during Eid al-Adha (Greater Bairam). One such initiative is 'Basma' (imprint), a voluntary social movement that strives for radically changing everything that affects society in a negative way, from ignorance to backwardness, and it supports and develops all conceivable fields serving society. The initiative is independent of any political or religious current. "Five friends and I decided to take action and make a change by helping solve some of the biggest problems," said Hassan Nassar, one of Basma's founders. "Five months ago, we were just six members, and now we have about 30 official members and about 200 volunteers," he added happily. The movement's aims are to change whatever hurts society, such as sexual harassment, the plight of street children, illiteracy and lack of citizen rights awareness. Hassan said that since harassment was one of the most pressing problems in Egypt, they decided to launch a campaign called 'Eid bela taharosh' (Feast without Harassment) in the last three days of Eid al-Adha to fight sexual harassment. It was not Basma's first campaign; they launched one five months ago in the metro to make men aware of the negative effects of harassment on women's psychology, and they showed women and girls how to act in such situations. They also prevented male passengers from entering the women's cars. "All girls face harassment in different ways, so they are very grateful to our movement. Most are really happy to see such an initiative that tries to preserve their rights," Nassar told the Egyptian Mail. They begin with places notorious for harassment in the vicinity of cinemas and coffee shops, as they are particularly crowded during feast days. Basma also covered Tahrir Square in its campaign, followed by Talaat Harb Street in downtown Cairo and the surrounding areas. On three days of Eid al-Adha they worked five hours a day; 20 teams toured downtown streets to prevent harassment. The Basma teams succeeded in preventing 50 harassment incidents and reported five cases to the police. According to a Basma report on the three-day mission, the age of culprits ranged from 12 to 35. Nassar added that when they spotted any harassment, they approached the guilty party, made him politely aware of his deplorable action and took him to a police station. He explained that Basma gave training courses to the volunteers, teaching them how to act when a harasser becomes rude or aggressive or tries to argue. Experts on behaviour and medical doctors taught the volunteers what to do in difficult situations. This was particularly important, although, every team had a doctor present in the field. Basma believes that the population should co-operate with the Government; in return the movement works with the police. The members wore conspicuous gowns on their missions; they marked secure areas in downtown Cairo by putting up special posters and notes. According to the Basma report, only five per cent of harassers act out of sexual desire, while 95 per have psychological problems and a desire for revenge since they are unemployed. They feel that women who work deprive them of jobs. Many teenage boys imitate adult males, whom they see harassing women, and think this kind of behaviour is a sign of manliness. A recent study by the Women's Rights Council showed that 83 per cent of Egyptian women and 98 per cent of foreigners faced harassment. Cairo had the highest rate, particularly during feasts. According to Nassar, the police should have a stronger presence in the street, which will stop potential harassers from going ahead with their evil actions. He suggested also that films should be looked into in terms of censorship, since many films aroused sexual instincts and drove men to behave aggressively towards women. "We would like to build balanced generations of people, whose actions are motivated by thinking instead of desire," Nassar said. "I whish the Government would introduce a harassment law; this would discourage men," he added. He asks the Ministry of Education to be more aware of school children and the negative effect harassment has on girls. The schools should teach the students that both genders are human and should be treated with respect. Girls should be taught about their rights and not be afraid to report a harassment incident to the police. "Basma welcomes any collaboration with NGOs and governmental organisations. It also welcomes new volunteers and members, as it aims to spread its activities across Egypt. We hope to achieve our goals and leave the Basma 'imprint' in everything we do," Nasser concluded.
