Women protesting against sexual harassment in Cairo yesterday were set upon by hundreds of men who proceeded to molest them. This frightening incident was not of course an isolated event. Some have claimed that recent attacks represent a deliberate attempt to stop women engaging in the public sphere, and surveys suggest that sexual harassment is a commonplace occurrence for many Egyptian women:
Sexual harassment of women, including against those who wear the Islamic headscarf or even cover their face, is common in the streets of Cairo. A 2008 report by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights says two-thirds of women in Egypt experienced sexual harassment on a daily basis. A string of mass assaults on women in 2006 during the Muslim feast following the holy month of Ramadan prompted police to increase the number of patrols to combat it but legislation providing punishment was never passed.
Although the one more heartening aspect of this dispiriting story is the fact that many men marched in solidarity with the women:
Ahmed Mansour, a 22-year-old male medical student who took part in the march, said there are “people here trying to abuse the large number of women protesters who feel safe and secure. Some people think it is targeted to make women hate coming here.”
Gene adds: Here is a video of the demonstration before the attack:
