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Clouds in Egypt's Sky (A Sociological Study) |
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Monday, 21 July 2008 |
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The issue of sexual harassment has become less taboo recently in the Egyptian media and within academic circles, and has even become a part of daily discourse among women in Egyptian society, regardless of social or economic status or political belief. In the past, women were afraid to talk about sexual harassment and considered discussing it culturally taboo. With the problem worsening, we have found that the way ahead is to encourage dialogue about this problem and to try to search for solutions. Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis, in public places such as markets, public transportation and the streets, as well as in private places such as educational institutions, sports clubs, and the workplace.
The research component of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights’ (ECWR) work concerning the phenomenon of sexual harassment has progressed in three phases. In 2005 we received and documented over 100 complaints of women subjected to sexual harassment – women across all different age groups and socio-economic classes. These women spoke to us about the seriousness of the problem and the extent of their personal and private suffering. During the second phase of our research, in order to investigate the issue further and discover if the problem of sexual harassment was an isolated phenomenon or a pervasive problem faced by the majority of women in Egypt, we conducted an exploratory study surveying over 2,800 Egyptian women. We met with and surveyed Egyptian women from different socio-economic backgrounds in a variety of settings and our preliminary results confirmed the prevalence and severity of sexual harassment and the suffering of women due to it.
In the third phase of our research we designed a more in-depth study focusing not only on Egyptian women but also included data on the motivations of Egyptian men, as well as the situation of foreign women in Egypt, to identify the extent of their suffering and the impact of sexual harassment on their lives.
Our study attempts to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of sexual harassment and also aims to help us achieve our desired objective: to make Egyptian society a society in which all members feel secure - whether male or female, Egyptian or foreign. Fully study |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 21 July 2008 )
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