Harassment illegal? Egypt's women say word hasn't reached the street
| Cairo and Aswan, Egypt
The news that a Cairo judge recently sentenced a man to a year in prison for sexual harassment was welcomed by those who have fought for such offenses to be recognized as a crime. But daily insecurities and lax law enforcement leave the deck still stacked against Egyptian women.
The prosecution,听coming just weeks before the introduction of a new听anti-sexual harassment law,听could act as a deterrent and encourage women to trust a legal apparatus that听they听rarely turn to for help. Egypt鈥檚 new constitution, which passed with 98 percent of the vote in January, affirms gender equality and the state鈥檚 commitment to "the protection of听women听against all forms of violence."听
Some individuals are making strides. In听December, leftist physician Mona Mina became the first female head of Egypt's influential doctors' syndicate, a group traditionally dominated by male, conservative Islamists. Three months later,听Hala Shukrallah became the first Egyptian听woman听to lead a political party, taking the helm of the Cairo-based听liberal听Dostour party.听
But听women鈥檚 rights activists across the county say gender-based harassment and violence keep participation in public life largely out of reach. According to a recent United Nations survey, 99.3 percent of women surveyed in Egypt said they had been harassed.听
Although sexual harassment and violence are debated at a level unseen before the 2011 uprising, the discussions are narrow, usually focused on attacks on female protesters in Tahrir Square. Politicians and commentators are quick to blame the victims.听
In Upper Egypt, insecurity is compounded听by male-dominated tribal and community structures. Women find even mere participation in public life largely off limits.听Many say that they would not consider taking on public roles, fearful of censure from a community which considers such actions inappropriate.
鈥淧olitical work is very difficult for听women听from tribes,听women听who do not even have the freedom to vote for who they want,"听says Basma Abdulla, a young development worker from the southern governorate of Qena. She plans to run in upcoming local elections.听
Kate Nevens, head of London-based NGO Saferworld鈥檚 Middle East and North Africa program, says resolution of these issues is a precursor to increasing female representation in the political arena.
鈥淪ecurity issues were providing such massive barriers at the really basic level that saying听women听should simply run for parliament and local council is way off the mark,鈥� Ms. Nevens says.
In Aswan, a city nestled on the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt, insults to a local听woman鈥檚 honor sparked two days of intense ethnic violence last month. With no police on the streets, most听women听felt unable to leave their homes.
By the time a truce was struck 鈥� after negotiations that did not include any women 鈥� 26 people were dead, and several听women听on both sides had been kidnapped. Some fled the scene in body bags, helped by ambulance workers.
鈥淥n both sides,听women听were just used to negotiate and humiliate,鈥� says Basma Othman, a founding member of the city鈥檚 first feminist initiative, Ganoubia Hora.听
Ms. Othman and her sister Ayat, both members of the Nubian community, founded Ganoubia Hora last year in response to their community鈥檚 muted reaction to a local听woman听being beaten by police at a demonstration.
鈥淭here are communities and safety circles which welcome us鈥� but we also meet with direct aggression. Society here often prefers to keep on what it's doing, and fall back on old ways,鈥� Ayat says.听She is reluctant to say more about the difficulties her group has faced.
But the spasms of violence in Aswan also underlined the need to keep going. In an angry statement issued in the wake of the fighting, Ganoubia Hora said,听鈥淲omen听are forever and always the weakest point in every conflict arising in Egypt generally and in Upper Egypt particularly."
