This article is also posted on MidEastPosts.
If Egypt is to become a more pleasant place to live it needs to do more than stamp out corruption and implement democracy. The political “clean-up” of Egypt needs to go hand in hand with a societal “clean-up” of community values, and an examination of what can be done to make the city nicer for everybody.
Social problems in Egypt include widespread littering, ignoring traffic laws (it may not sounds serious, but when a 15 minute walk includes multiple dices with death, it becomes more so) and, most distressing of all, endemic sexual harassment.
Women in Egypt, regardless of race, religion or dress, face daily harassment by the male population ranging from whistling and suggestive shouts, to grabbing in the street. If you speak to any foreign women about the least pleasant aspect of life in Egypt they will tell you without hesitation that it is the daily chorus of cat-calls and shouts of “very nice”. Amongst those born here the complaints are thinner on the ground, but although they may have become used to it, this does not mean it does not cause them equal suffering.
A fun game for young males on scooters is to ride past a women close enough that their friend (or friends) sat behind them can reach out and slap her behind, leaving her distressed and angry, while they drive off screeching with laughter. Another activity that passes the time is to follow women home either on foot or by curb-crawling, all the while recording videos on their camera-phones. Yet another activity involves hanging out on bridges in groups waiting to corner girls and not let them pass.
On of the most concerning aspect of this behaviour is the age of the boys involved. While some are teenagers, many are as young as nine or ten, and it is not difficult to see where they get the idea that these kinds of actions are acceptable. Men out with their sons will openly stare at women, and made lewd gestures or expressions, or “brush-past” them unnecessarily closely, in move that takes slightly too long. As long as these boys continue to be taught from an early age to think of women as not deserving of their respect, the situation will not change.
Another striking aspect of the harassment culture is how public it is. Harassers don’t lie in wait in deserted alleyways, or operate only in the dead of night, because they don’t have to. The blame lies not just with the individuals directly involved, but also with the society that allows it to go on around them unchecked, and frequently expresses denials or apathy about the problem.
While stories do exist of occasions when a stranger successfully intervened on behalf of a harassment victim, these cases are the exception rather than the rule. If you cause a scene, the most you can usually expect is a sympathetic “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do about it”. If you fight back, you are regularly told by curious by-standers to “calm down” and that “it’s not a big deal”.
Sexual harassment is a big deal. it is a violation of the right of half of the population to go about their day unhindered and unintimidated. Egyptians need to rediscover their sense of pride, and stop treating it as a triviality. And while they’re at it, stop using public parks as rubbish bins and driving like maniacs.
So very true. One time, in a proud moment, I reacted fast enough to slap a boy who grabbed my roommate's behind as we were entering Behoos Metro. The boy and his friends laughed and then spat at us, how dare we think we have the right to retaliate when violated. These boys could not have been older than middle school.
ReplyDeleteI am an egyptian man and i swear that i never ever do any thing like that .that because I don't want my mother,sister,wife or any female in my family to be in this terrible situation .
ReplyDeleteif the kids receive this massage from us we will not have any more Sexual Harassment in our lovely Egypt.
just make any one do this imagine any female from his family face this bad behavior and ask him about what will he do ?
Amanda, you're absolutely right, for so many harassers, our attempts to stand up for ourselves are humourous, which often adds to our sense of hopelessness and humiliation. However, we need to keep fighting, if for no other reason than to register a complaint - to tell these boys that what they are doing is unacceptable and disrespectful - otherwise we encourage the practise simply by passivity.
ReplyDeleteShiko92, that's an excellent point, that the example that is set to children is crucial in determining how they will act when they are older. I only hope there are many more Egyptian men like you who will set a good example for their children to follow. The message that women should be respected is vital, and one that needs to be learned from a young age.
Lucy you are bang on here! Mostly I find women tend to let it go out of some liberal sense that this is part and parcel of living in a different country and culture. But it isn't right and if more people challenged it, perhaps it would happen less.
ReplyDeleteShiko - I do exactly this! Once in Egypt I was really struggling to shake this particular guy. I turned to him and asked 'how would you feel if someone touched your sister like that?' - he genuinely looked completely confused. Gave me enough time to make a dash for it at least.