Today, February 12, 2013, at 6 p.m. local time, people all
over the world will gather in front of the nearest Egyptian embassy to say
these words to protest the rape of, and violence against, women in Egypt.
The message is: “We, citizens of all nationalities,
all around the world, will not watch in silence the spreading epidemic of
sexual terrorism. We want to show our support, solidarity and admiration for
the assaulted who paid the price of the ongoing Egyptian revolution with their
own flesh, and to the heroic volunteers who are risking their lives for a safe
Tahrir [Square].”
The global protest, planned by the The uprising of women in the Arab world and several other groups, is
against “sexual terrorism, a technique recently used extensively by organized
mobs in Egypt aiming to injure, undermine, humiliate and scare female
protesters in Tahrir Square, during the ongoing Egyptian revolution.”
What is it about violence
against women in general, and rape in particular, in Arab Spring states?
Is the current focus on
countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere
highlighting this mounting problem?
Was it always there, but concealed
from public view?
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| Women protest in Egypt |
Are women more daring and
courageous in speaking about their horrific experiences, whether because of a
shift in attitudes or the support they are getting?
Has Social Media in any way
helped abused women? Is it thanks to the various Social Media platforms that we
are made aware of the violence against women -- not only in Arab Spring
countries, but also in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali, Europe, the United
States…?
In a recent article, Rachel
Elmalawany points out that women of every race suffer abuse. She says, “What’s
disturbing is the overwhelming idea that women in the Middle East are treated
far worse than women in the United States when, in reality, women everywhere
struggle every day to combat misogyny and abuse, and that includes American
women…
“The mistreatment of women
is global and not a characteristic of any one nation or group of people.
Clearly, abuse is as big of a problem for women in the United States as it is
for women in Muslim majority and Middle Eastern countries. The myth that women
are mistreated more in the Middle East is just that, a myth. What is true is
that women everywhere suffer at the hands of those they trust the most.”
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| Yasmine El Baramawy |
Yasmine El
Baramawy, who was raped together with a friend in Cairo's
Tahrir Square, is among the first to publicly expose the most recent outrages
of rape around Egypt and during demonstrations in the plaza.
 |
| Yasmine shows TV viewers what remains of the clothing after the rape in Tahrir Square |
She went live on Egyptian TV to publicly “challenge
the sexual terrorism and expose the corrupt Egyptian society which considers a
raped woman a shame.” Yasmine told of her ordeal and showed viewers what was
left of the trousers she was wearing and the red shirt her friend was sporting.
Today’s worldwide Global Protest Against Sexual Terrorism Practiced on Egyptian Female Protestors وقفة عالمية ضدّ الإرهاب الجنسي الذي يُمارس على المتظاهرات المصريّات is to “raise our voices” because:
- We accuse the Ruling Party [in Egypt] for not taking strict measures to prevent organized thugs from attacking, stripping, raping, injuring and killing peaceful protesters;
- We hold responsible the Egyptian police and governmental institutions for not offering the necessary protection and safety to female Egyptian citizens. Furthermore, the police practice the crime of sexual harassment/assault;
- We blame past and present Egyptian governments for condoning the crime of sexual harassment/assault by not issuing any strict law that clearly provides legal consequences to sexual harassers or those that indulge in sexual violence. We demand the enforcement of a strict law against sexual harassment in all its forms;
- We condemn the social acceptability of sexual harassment, violence and rape by the Egyptian society, which puts the blame on the assaulted instead of the aggressor;
- We hold accountable irresponsible media for focusing on personal, intimate and sensationalist details of the assaulted, instead of covering the criminal act in a professional and ethical manner;
- We urge every revolutionary group, political party or individual to speak up and take IMMEDIATE action against both the sexual attacks committed by organized mobs aiming to tarnish the image of Tahrir and terrorize the protestors, and the sexual harassment targeting Egyptian women and girls on a daily basis in the streets of their own country; and
- Fighting sexual humiliation and aggression should be a TOP PRIORITY in the noble endeavor for freedom and dignity of the Egyptian people.
- We salute every hero and heroine of the ongoing Egyptian revolution!
- You teach us courage, perseverance and determination.
 |
| By Amgad Ali |
Why is violence against women
still so widespread around the world?
I keep asking myself the
question and wondering where the solution lies. Is it in laws, severe
punishment, naming and shaming or education?
In the meantime, we protest
these barbaric acts and support the victims: "We
will not stay silent. We will not be broken. We will not be ashamed."
You
can check out the global events being organized around the world -- including
Cairo, Tunis, Aden, Ramallah and Yaffa in Palestine, Rabat, Damascus, Beirut,
Amman, Ko Samui in Thailand, Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels, Paris, London The
Hague, Milano, Washington DC, New York, Ottawa, Melbourne and elsewhere -- by
visiting the Global Event Facebook page.
