These are a few samples from the info I recieved from The Egyptian Center for Women’s Right.
1. Your name (optional):
2. Your age: 26
3. Place harassment happened: Faissal St.
4. Date and time harassment happened: a few weeks ago (October/November 2005)
5. Who harassed you? A man
6. About how old was he? Late 20s or early 30
7. What happened? I am a married veiled woman. I usually dress in long wide clothes (if anyone thinks that women in tight clothes provoke and/or deserve harassment). On that day particularly I was wearing a wide dress, covering all my body and a hijab, that also covered the breast area. I was going to the supermarket (which is about 100 meters away from my house) to buy something when I felt someone walking quickly behind me. He then grabbed my underwear so severely that I thought it was torn apart, he also grabbed my butt and put his hands between my upper thighs. This all happened in a second. Shocked with what happened, I turned around and called him bad names, as loudly as possible. Unfortunately, the street was almost empty. He ran and I didn’t attempt to chase him. I went to inside the supermarket and bought the things. When I went out of the supermarket, I found him sitting on the sidewalk. I went inside the shop and told some of the guys inside that the man sitting on the sidewalk harassed me. I didn’t give details. I just pointed at him. A man from the shop went out and talked to him. I don’t know what he said to him. I left the scene and went home.
8. What was the reaction of other people around you?
9. Did you go to the police? No
10. If no, why? First, I don’t have evidence. Secondly, he can allege that I’m saying this because I’m a bad woman and I wanted to get at him.
11. If yes, what happened?
12. How did you feel after the harassment happened? I felt terrible. I wanted to cry. I felt so humiliated and shocked that this particular incident happened to me. Sadly, I got so used to verbal harassment that I no longer hear what men say when they come so close and say something bad. However, it was the first time that someone grabs me. I felt impure and violated for a period of time.
13. Did you receive any support from other people? Yes
14. If yes, how? My father and husband told me that it was his own problem and I need not wory about that. My husband was quite supportive and tried to chear me up. However, I still felt ‘unclean’ and ‘impure’. ______________________________________________________
2. Your age:20
3. Place harassment happened:near my home, mohandeseen
4. Date and time harassment happened: about 3 yrs ago, 2002, at night about 9:00 pm
5. Who harassed you? some random guy from the street
6. About how old was he? 25-30
7. What happened? i was in high schl at the time when i used to take a private class in an education centre near my home that i only had to cross few streets. that guy used to follow me everyday & used to be very scared..he waited for me at the time when my class ends, at firs he used to follow me then day after day he tried to touched me successively, i used to walk faster or turn suddenly tats when he temporarily stop & resume after making me feel that he’s distant & that im safe.untill that day when he actually touched me & i shivered like a rabbit but i
had books in my hand & i turned & slapped him hard in the face & called him names, i was scared buti was very angry at the time that i still cant imagine how i did that..he was very expressionless & wasnt afraid of me..but after that he stopped following me & i never saw him one day after that
8. What was the reaction of other people around you? ppl in the street were only watching with no reaction at all & some men were even laghing ..& some other girls or women felt that my reaction was kind of tachy & that i shouldnt have done that!(isnt that sad)
9. Did you go to the police? no i didnt
10. If no, why? i knew that nothing was ever to happen to rescue my dignity. & i wasnt gonna grab him & hand him to the police, & its not that unexpected that the police men would have hit on me themselves!!!
11.If yes, what happened?
12.How did you feel after the harassment happened? i felt very unsafe ..& i felt like i wanna throw up bcoz I was very disappointed! but since then ..shouting or cursing a guy in the street to stop himm from being nasty is not a problem anymore..its even sth that I enjoy!! & when i do shout at some guy..they seem to be shocked that they never thought a girl would ever do that! & some seem to enjoy it..me cursing them!!
13.Did you receive any support from other people? i never told anybody
14.If yes, how?
________________________________________________________
I am 27 years old but would prefer to keep my name anonymous:
The incident took place about a year ago in the parking lot in Abdel Moneim Riad Square, under the 6th of Ocober Bridge. Unfortunately I do not remember the exact date but it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. I was ascending the Pedestrian Tunnel and moving into the parking lot when a police officer (‘askari) started to call out names like ‘asal at me. If that were it, there would be nothing to tell. However, the fact is that he was naked at the time, except for his underwear (kalson). Clearly, a number of security people and police personnel reside in that area of the parking lot and that is where they change their clothes and I happened to come ouf of the pedestrian tunnel, which is a publid place, while he was in the middle of getting dressed. The sad thing is that I got harrassed by the same person who is supposed to be protecting me as a citizen. Ofcourse I did not go to the police because I was harrassed by the police. There was noone else around except his colleagues who were laughing so I couldn’t turn to anyone else for help. I don’t know what else to tell you except I felt so angry and so dissapointed in our country and our police. I thought they were there to protect us from incidents like that but I guess they forgot that their mission is to protect citizens. I wrote to Bareed Al Ahram that day but my story did not get published.
Now if you or someone you know have been Harassed and want to report it, or willing to share your story, please go visit the ECWR Website and fill out their form and return it to ecwr@link.net.
Nermeena 