I was walking down a busy street when a young street vendor on the sidewalks -close to me- started talking to me and calling me (in Arabic of course): “Hey baby, look at me, what’s up honey, you’re so pretty” and kept following me for a few feet.
That’s when something inside me ‘popped’, I couldn’t take it anymore; girls in Arabic societies are always advised never to reply or give attention to a harasser, and through years of doing so (ignoring harassers and tolerating them), I had not found the courage to speak out, to object to it.
Maybe it was because of our social customs or of personal fear that the harasser may attack me. well he didn’t, I stopped walking and I shouted (also in Arabic): “Stop it now!” and looked him straight in the eyes. To my amazement, and his astonishment, he did. He froze and swiftly turned his head away so bystanders wouldn’t realize I was addressing him. And finally, for once, I felt vindicated.
Verbal harassment is the most common type of harassment. To me, and many other girls, the mere idea of replying to the harasser scares us. As simple and quick were the words I uttered, it took me 18 years to summon the courage and power to yell it out, to defend myself.
– Anonymous
Location: Alexandria, Egypt
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beckie says
I so admire your courage. You give me the inspiration to stand up and be strong too.