Women around the globe are all-too-familiar with the grave threat of sexual harassment. However, Egyptian women have recently been experiencing an astonishingly high frequency of sexual harassment. According to a newly-released Public Service Announcement, at least 90% of Egyptian women experience sexual harassment. A 2013 UN report estimates that the number could be as high as 99.3%. Let those numbers sink in for a moment. Keep in mind that sexual assault is a notoriously under reported crime. It is safe to believe that even those shocking numbers are being generous.
On the occasions when female victims make the choice to report the incident, they are often made to feel blamed or ashamed for their own attacks. Police general Adel Abdel Maqsoud Afifi told the New York Times, “Sometimes, a girl contributes 100 percent to her own raping when she puts herself in these conditions.”
While the government has stepped in to implement small measures to combat this sexual assault epidemic–such as training female officers how to sensitively approach victims and posting cameras to monitor harassment on the streets–the policies have been slow and ineffective.
Due to the continuing rise of gender-based violence, Egyptian women have been encouraged to take their safety into their own hands via martial arts training. Prominent self-defense campaigns, such as Aman and Inti Aqwa (You Are Stronger), have been launched with the hope that women will have both the physical ability and self-confidence to defend themselves against attackers. Kung fu trainer Tarek Hussein commented on the epidemic, “The assault on women is very high… It’s very important that women know how to defend themselves. And kung fu is a great vehicle to be able to do so.”
While the integration of such a fantastic anti-sexual harassment campaign is something to be celebrated, it is disheartening because the need for self-defense training is pivotal to women’s daily lives and safety. Many American women choose to enroll in self-defense courses “just in case” they find themselves in a horrific situation. Egyptian women cannot have the “just in case” mindset; instead they must be prepared for “when this attack happens to me.”
Rather than the Egyptian government launching serious efforts to teach men boundaries and respect, the solution is that women just have to learn how to defend themselves against the constant threat of sexual violence. This does not dissolve the sexual violence but merely delays it. In order for sexual violence to come to an end in Egypt, both men and women need to actively participate. A major shift in how women are viewed needs to take place within society.
However, until this shift within society takes place, my applauds go out to the women in Egypt that are strong enough to fight back against the continuing sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
