As protesters filled Tahrir Square to mark the second anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, the vibes seemed to say, 'Women are unwelcome here'. The fact that more than 20 cases of group sexual assaults on female protesters have been documented underlines this feeling. Since last November, activists have been talking about targeting women in demonstrations in Tahrir and a number of feminist and rights groups have been formed to combat this nasty phenomenon. "I was trying to save a female protester from a group of as many as 200 assailants when they pushed me into the middle of their circle and attacked me instead," says Aida el-Kashef, a young filmmaker and the spokeswoman for a movement against sexual harassment in Tahrir. Aida calmly recalls how she was attacked last month, on the second anniversary of the revolution. With her slender frame, Aida suffered unimaginable trauma as hundreds of hands groped her body, touched her and tore her clothes with their knives. However, what pained her most was that she could not tell who was seriously trying to help her from those bent on sexually assaulting her. "They were all crying things like 'Stop that, she is like your sister, help her', but I clearly remember that one of them was saying this while his hands were inside my knickers," she says. "I was just trying to hold on and not lose consciousness, because I didn't know what might happen next." The assault continued until another volunteer from the Shoft Taharosh (I've Seen Sexual Harassment) movement reached her and managed to save her from the raging mob. On January 25, six of the 22 documented sexual assault cases in Tahrir needed hospitalisation. Women of various ages reported being attacked by mobs, 200 to 300 strong men, who pretended they were rescuing their victims or claiming the victims were wired up to explosives, in order to keep people away. The women all testified that the attackers were well organised and armed with knives, blades and other weapons. Although sexual harassment is a serious issue in Cairo's streets, what has been happening to female activists and protesters is anything but normal. "These are systematic attacks designed to humiliate and terrify female protesters and stop them from venturing into Tahrir," Janet Abdel-Aal, a political activist and the co-ordinator of Shoft Taharosh, says. "And this technique is nothing new. Authoritarian regimes always use the card of sexual assaults to terrify and break the opposition, but it isn't going to work with us this time." A number of human rights movements have declared that such attacks are meant to disgrace female protesters, tarnish the image of Tahrir and make parents stop their daughters from participating. A similar assault involved a foreign woman, CBS correspondent Lara Logan, who had her jeans ripped off and was cruelly raped by a crowd of thugs on February 11, 2011, during the celebrations for Hosni Mubarak's ousting. No-one has ever been brought to account for this horrific crime. "This crime is just as brutal as shooting protesters," stresses Gamila Ismail, a political activist and a candidate in Egypt's last presidential elections. "Sexual assaults are a malicious weapon that the authorities and their security apparati use to shut up opposition. "We will keep on hitting the streets but this time we will be ready to defend ourselves and catch these assailants, forcing them to confess who is behind this." Women's rights and other movements are calling for a march tomorrow, starting at 4pm in el-Sayyeda Zeinab district. Participants will march to Tahrir Square, under the slogan 'The Street is Ours'.
