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Egyptian Man Gets Hard Labor for Groping

Landmark case eggs Cairo women to report rampant teasing

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Dec 18, 2008 10:17 AM CST
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(Newser) – Women face rampant harassment on Cairo's streets—83% of Egyptians and 98% of foreigners say they've been groped, hassled, or assaulted—but the 3% who go to the cops are usually met with indifference. A landmark case in which a man got 3 years of hard labor for reaching out of his truck window and groping a woman's breast may reflect new attitudes, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The truck driver was arrested after the woman, a documentary maker, jumped on his truck, which was then surrounded by neighbors. The crowd offered to beat the man, but the filmmaker opted for the courts. Since the case went public, police have arrested hundreds of accused harassers, and activists say complaints have soared since the verdict.

Egyptian women rarely report harassment to the police.
Egyptian women rarely report harassment to the police.   (AP Photo/Mohamed al Sehety)
Women dress more modestly in Cairo today, but face more harassment.
Women dress more modestly in Cairo today, but face more harassment.   (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Shayma el-Jammal, right from Egypt fights during the semi final women's Foil Fencing competition. Some women have taken martial arts to defend themselves against men on Cairo's streets.
Shayma el-Jammal, right from Egypt fights during the semi final women's Foil Fencing competition. Some women have taken martial arts to defend themselves against men on Cairo's streets.   (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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I always feel insecure when walking in the street. I feel that anyone can harass me at any point. They turned us into paranoid beings. Girls have lost all sense of safety and security.
- Shaimaa Abdel Rahman Aref, 28

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Activists fight an uphill battle
AlterNet

Conservative dress no deterrent
Radio Free Netherlands

 
crime • women • police • sexual harassment • Cairo • Muslim women • groping • patriarchy • eve teasing

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