Egypt's Wall of Shame
“They’re animals, beasts, vermin. That’s what they are.”
A foreign colleague made this remark to me recently in an expression of outrage at the throngs of male harassers who have seized the country’s streets. Despite the hostility of the remark, she can hardly be blamed for her embittered sentiment. The amount of sexual harassment women encounter whenever they attempt to navigate the streets of Egypt is a social malaise that has come to warrant ridicule. No explanation or word of appeasement overcomes the feeling of physical and emotional violation felt by women in Egypt, the eternal recipients of unwelcome sexual remarks, profanity, gaping and touching – in public. The shamefully ubiquitous phenomenon has become a debilitating plague invading our country. Second only to the plight of street children, it is the vilest daily occurrence on our streets, far less tolerable for most women than the traffic, noise and pollution combined.
In support of efforts being taken to curb this disturbing phenomenon, CT met up with a pioneering organization that is campaigning strongly to put an end to sexual pestering on the streets - the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR). We spoke with Ms. Engy Ghozy, the Project Coordinator for the campaign, to learn more about the initiative, surprisingly one of the verhy few projects being undertaken to make the country’s streets safer for women. The project is sponsored by the EU, the UNFPA, Nile FM, and supported by Filbalad.com. Ms. Ghozy explained to CT why and how the Campaign Against Sexual Harassment began, the findings of the study on sexual harassment conducted by the center, and the methodology devised to address the issue.
For those who are unfamiliar with ECWR, it is an NGO that was founded 11 years ago (in 1996) with the mission of improving the status of women in Egypt and the Arab region. The center provides direct legal aid to poor women and trains them to claim their rights independently. Since its inception, ECWR has expanded its programs to address several important issues faced by women in Egypt, its successful efforts gaining it the World Bank title as one of the 10 Best Development Programs in 2002. This year, ECWR launched its new nationwide campaign to fight sexual harassment.
What started it all?
In 2005, ECWR received a large number of complaints from women who were unable to deal with the sexual violations they encountered on Egypt’s streets. Aware that no study had previously been conducted in the country to analyze sexual harassment traits and that no statistics on the topic were to be found, the center launched a pilot research to find out more about the issue. ECWR surveyed 3500 randomly selected women and men from various demographic sectors to understand their perceptions and responses to street sexual harassment. The samples were selected from places as diverse as AUC, Cairo university, Luxor, Aswan, The New Valley, Qalyubeyya and Giza. In conjunction with the surveys, the center simultaneously ran focus group discussions with both men and women to understand their opinions of the issue and the factors that propel sexual harassment in the first place. The survey was compiled and analyzed over a period of 16 months and revealed a host of interesting findings.
Women - The Curse of Silence
Of the 2800 women surveyed, only 10 claimed never to have been sexually harassed, expressing ambivalence about the meaning of the term “harassment,” mistakenly understanding it to be synonymous with rape. Their lack of awareness of their legal rights, teamed with the country’s patriarchal culture, and the overtly habitual incidences of cat calling and eve teasing on the streets, have made many of them oblivious to the very fact that there is a harassment problem in the first place. As Ms. Ghozy explained, “one of the biggest challenges we faced whilst conducting the surveys and focus groups was breaking women’s silence. Many of them were afraid to admit that they had been sexually harassed because they thought that it brings some sort of liability on them, that it somehow taints their honor. They have been raised in a culture that places the blame on women for anything that happens to them.” This comes as little surprise given a society that not only tolerates the behavior of sexual harassers, but has even come to expect it, as though it were an inevitable norm. The absurdity of our double standards speaks volumes about our culture; we denigrate the choice of sexual freedom yet hold an accepting attitude towards imposed sexual harassment. The ECWR’s survey findings show that amongst the 2790 women who admitted that they were victims of sexual harassment, exposure to foul language, misogynistic insults, inappropriate touching from harassers, attempts to obstruct their paths as they walk, or all of the above, were part of their daily experience of living in Egypt. Women anticipate these violations of their physical space every time they leave their houses. Why has the problem become so prevalent in our country?
The Perspective of the Harasser
The issue of sexual harassment is complex, inextricably tied to a labyrinth of socioeconomic and political problems that are crippling Egypt. It is easy to cite a litany of reasons propelling the phenomenon: unemployment, boredom, a need to vent social frustrations, the lack of financial means for marriage, exposure to sexual depictions in the media alongside a culture of sexual repression, chauvinist upbringings, a belief in the inferiority of women, the wide availability of drugs, lack of adequate legal punishment to dissuade harassers, etc. The list is exhaustive. What is certain, however, is that hollering something anatomically graphical at a woman or brushing one’s hands against her body does not yield a sexual sensation powerful enough to incite the repeated act of harassment. What, then, is the satisfaction that male harassers gain by making lurid passes at women? The only other logical explanation is the need to assert power. According to the study conducted by the ECWR, some of the main reasons cited by men for harassment are as follows: a feeling of pride amongst one’s male friends, a feeling of satisfaction at having gotten away with something, a feeling of machismo, and the joy of gratifying an impulse urge. This need for control was proved further when the ECWR moderators asked the men in question why they continue to repeat the harassing behavior. “Boredom,” “habit” and “there is nothing to stop me,” were amongst the replies given. For many men, harassing a hapless female on the street is clearly an easy means of asserting power when they feel helpless in other domains of their lives (owing to poverty, unemployment, familial dysfunction, etc).
Of course, society offers the usual counterargument: that it is women who invite sexual harassment. Popular culture has it that only those who dress “inappropriately” are exposed to wolf whistles and inappropriate comments, and that women who are not moderately clothed (whatever this concept denotes to each person) can rightfully be blamed for “exciting” the sexual appetites of the sex-starved men on the streets. This unapologetically chauvinist argument, which gives men the thumbs up to engage in harassment freely, would not be dignified with a response in any civilized nation. Arguing that women’s attire is what propels harassment is similar to arguing that the mere presence of weapons is what propels murder. Further proof of the unwarranted claims of this argument is the fact that the men sampled in ECWR’s focus group discussions have admitted to having openly made passes at veiled women and even women who don a face veil. Therefore sexual harassment in Egypt takes place irrespective of the woman’s clothing. The issue is a behavioral one and simply exists because there are not enough measures being taken to eradicate it. As some of the focus group participants have said, “there is nothing to stop me.”
The Catch-Me-If-You-Can Debacle
The lack of initiatives to address sexual harassment on the streets has trapped women in a suffocating social and legal gridlock. Most efforts at self-defense against the sexual harasser are met with failure. Take for example, possible defense scenario number one: yelling at the harasser or flinging a bag/item at him. This approach may or may not force the man in question to leave the woman alone. Two women in the focus group discussions illustrated this idea further. The first said that she once reacted to an incident of harassment by pushing away and beating the harasser; he felt guilty/afraid and ran away. The second woman reacted in the same manner to another harasser: he responded by beating her back. This trial-and-error approach therefore does not offer guaranteed protection to women.
Then comes the second possible solution, which is to resort to a nearby police officer in the hope that he will drag the offender to the police station. According to Article 278 of The Egyptian Penal Code, “anyone who commits a public obscenity offending the modesty of a woman shall be punished either by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of not more than LE 300.” This legal clause is not being applied in Egypt for various reasons. Firstly, resorting to the officers for help is, as any woman living here would know, often futile because they do not take the issue seriously enough to address it. If anything, some might even be inclined to join in with a wolf whistle. Our society is so accustomed to witnessing “mo3akasat” (sexual harassment) that many people, including some women, sneer and laugh at those who make an ordeal about the issue. Secondly, women cannot file a complaint against a random stranger because they do not know his name or have any means of tracking him down. Nor is it realistic to expect them to physically grab the harasser and take him to a police station since it is often beyond their physical capacity, not to mention that a police station may also be nowhere in sight, and the offender will fight back before the woman can even hope to drag him one meter.
The most extreme of all possible solutions is to avoid walking in the streets altogether. Although countless women have actually resorted to this last measure, it is a weak palliative rather than a permanent way of addressing the problem. No person, man or woman, should be stripped of the basic human right to enjoy the public arena, to move freely and safely without feeling afraid. The only solution, then, is for a strong national campaign to be implemented to fight the street sexual harassment phenomenon.
Paying Consideration to the Tourism Industry
It is worthwhile to mention in the context of this issue that the vast majority of world-renowned travel guides such as the Lonely Planet dedicate entire sections within their Egyptian book editions to warn female tourists of the sexual harassment they will encounter if they decide to visit the country. This is a big slap in the face of tourism in Egypt. Many unsuspecting female visitors are apt to return to their homelands offended and humiliated by the heinous staring and comments they encountered whilst attempting to enjoy the country’s attractions. If Egypt’s long-term plan to boost the tourism sector - our main income provider – is to reap any measure of success in the future, the plague of sexual harassment cannot be neglected. Powerful educational, social, legal and journalistic measures need to be undertaken to combat the phenomenon.
ECWR’s Campaign Against Sexual Harassment – What is Being Done?
The ECWR is working on four consecutive steps towards addressing sexual harassment. The first phase involves research and was conducted throughout 2005. The findings of the surveys and focus groups were compiled in a detailed booklet entitled “Harassment; The Social Plague,” and are being distributed in seminars, conferences and awareness days across the country. The second phase of the plan involves spreading public awareness and sensitizing society on the issue. This is a pivotal step given the fact that many Egyptian women are unaware of what constitutes harassment to begin with. They live in a culture of silence and passivity that does not encourage them to speak up about their problems. Ms. Ghozy was quick to point out that amongst the opinions expressed during the focus group discussions were comments like “harassment is normal, it happens every day” and “why are you preoccupied with sexual harassment when there are bigger issues in the country such as street children?” Part of the ECWR’s awareness campaign is to enlighten the public to the fact that attending to one social problem does not negate efforts being done to combat other social problems, and that sexual harassment is directly linked to issues like street children. Wandering juveniles are as prone to sexual teasing as are adult women, perhaps even more so because they are helpless to defend themselves.
As part of its efforts to publicize the issue of sexual harassment, the ECWR held a seminar at AUC on December 5th 2006, with law professors and specialists in women’s studies gathering together to discuss with a large audience the rising phenomenon. Then, on the 24th of March this year, another press conference was held with the aim of announcing the launch of the new campaign, releasing the findings of the center’s research, and inviting young people to volunteer in the project. The third publicity event was held on the 18th of May 2007 at Culture Wheel. It was labeled “The Sexual Harassment Awareness Day” and was attended by 1000 people. Considerable media coverage was done on the event. ECWR invited music bands to perform on the day, in order to appeal to the young crowd. Additionally, a German female volunteer with extensive background in martial arts offered to give free self-defense classes on the day to women to teach them how to fend off an aggressive male harasser. The Awareness Day encouraged yet more volunteers to join the campaign. Moreover, a website and telephone hotline are currently being developed for women to speak up about sexual harassment. The ECWR will also be approaching schools to train teachers and social workers on how to raise children’s awareness on the issue. The center is developing a 5-minute animated cartoon as a fun and interactive means of teaching them about the subject.
The third step of ECWR’s campaign is advocacy. The center plans to address officials and the Ministry of Interior to introduce new codes within the penal law that would enact more severe punishment on harassers.
The fourth step is the Youth Outreach Program, which aims to encourage men to volunteer in the campaign so that they can teach other men about the harmful effects of sexual harassment. As Ghozy explains, “unfortunately in Egypt, we have a culture of passivity and discouragement. People put other people down. They discourage them from volunteer work. They say ‘what’s the use? Nothing will change.’ Well, with this negative attitude, of course nothing will change!”
Why the Campaign Offers a Positive Step
ECWR’s campaign philosophy can be summarized in one word: pragmatism. The project encourages civil society to take action against sexual harassment without having to constantly wait and expect the country’s officials to address each and every issue in Egypt. As Ms Ghozy explains, “ we want to teach people that with minimal resources, we can make a difference. Millions of small-scale development projects reaped grand-scale successes in countries like India and Indonesia. Egypt is no less capable of moving forward. We need volunteers in this country. In developed nations that barely suffer half the problems we have, there is a strong volunteering culture. Here, we are mired in problems and yet we barely have volunteers. We need more enthusiasm. The campaign can only work if we elicit help.”
How You Can Help
To volunteer or inquire about the Campaign, below are the contact details:
ECWR Address: 135 Misr Helwan Street, 2nd floor, Flat 3, Maadi, Cairo.
Telephone: 5271397 or 5282176
Fax: (02) 5282175
Website: http://www.ecwronline.org
Email: ecwr@link.net
