A campaign titled #When_I_Went_to_the_Police-station has been launched by the Egyptian Feminist Initiative, in collaboration with Tadwein blog for gender studies. The initiative, which comes as part of the Feminist Fabric project, aims to shed light on the difficulties women face when reporting to the police sexual harassment they experience.
According to recent studies, many Egyptian women are victims to various forms of sexual assaults. A study conducted by the United Nations Women’s Organisation confirmed that more than 90 per cent of Egyptian women have experienced sexual harassment, with most sexual offences taking place on the street and in public places. The Global Survey on Men and Gender Equality found that some 60 per cent of women had experienced sexual harassment on the street.
A study conducted by Tadwein revealed that half the participants had never heard of the sexual harassment law in Egypt, and more than half, some 57 per cent, said that they did not believe they could obtain their rights through legal channels.
Despite the fact that Egyptian law includes articles criminalising sexual harassment, such as Article 306 (a) and (b) of the Egyptian Penal Code for 2014, amended in 2021, the rates of such crimes remain high, while reporting rates are still low. This owes to several reasons, most important of which are that some relevant executive authorities do not make the reporting procedure easy; lack of sufficient public awareness of the law; social stigma that frequently follows victims who decide to report; lack of sufficient support from families; and societal acceptance of harassment as a more or less normal matter that carries no penalty.
The #When_I_Went_to_the_Police-station campaign aims at shedding light on the challenges faced by women when reporting sexual harassment; raising awareness about the legal procedures they should follow when experiencing any form of sexual violation; and affording advice to help them overcome various obstacles so that their rights are not ultimately lost.
Watani International
5 March 2024