Daily News Egypt
Shura Council members blame women for harassment
Feb. 11, 2013
The Shura Council Human Rights Committee addressed on Monday the recent wave of sexual harassment proliferating during mass protests, calling for specifying places of protest for females.
Shura Council members blame women for harassment
Feb. 11, 2013
Some
members call for separating men and women during protests to prevent
sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to rape - See
more at:
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpuf
Rana Muhammad Taha
The Shura Council Human Rights Committee addressed on Monday the recent wave of sexual harassment proliferating during mass protests, calling for specifying places of protest for females.
“Women should not mingle with men
during protests,” said Reda Al-Hefnawy, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) member.
“How can the Ministry of Interior be tasked with protecting a lady who stands
among a group of men?”
Adel Afifi, a prominent board member
of the Salafi Party Al-Asala, blamed women for the sexual harassment
phenomenon. “A woman who joins protests among thugs and street inhabitants
should protect herself before asking the Ministry of Interior to offer her
protection,” Afifi said, adding that police officers are incapable of
protecting themselves.
Salafi Al-Nour Party member Salah
Abdel Salam also believed women were responsible for sexual harassment. “The
woman bears the offence when she chooses to protest in places filled with
thugs,” Abdel Salam said. He added that, nevertheless, the phenomenon needs to
be addressed.
“Women sometimes cause rape upon
themselves through putting themselves in a position which makes them subject to
rape,” Afifi said. He called for punishing the “children” who commit such acts
even if their punishment breaches international conventions.
“Some foreign-funded organisations
are imposing western beliefs upon us; tents present in some squares witness
prostitution,” he said.
Committee head Ezz al-Din Al-Komy
stated during the session that 24 acts of systematic rape cases have been
observed in Tahrir Square recently. Al-Komy criticised state-owned and
independent media outlets, accusing them of “putting the dragged protester
Hamada Saber under the spotlights while ignoring the sexually assaulted girls.”
Ahmed Al-Khatib, head of the Appeals
Court, held the political movements responsible for the assaults. He urged
opposition movements to stop calling for protests as long as they are incapable
of protecting the protesters against harassment.
Al-Khatib also stated that the
non-governmental organisations “ought to defend women’s rights instead of
concerning themselves with political issues.”
“What came out of the Shura Council
today is horrible,” said Sally Zohney, a women’s rights activist. “Those
statements are inhumane, to say the least.”
Zohney stated she doesn’t expect the
Shura Council, the current legislative authority, to issue a law banning sexual
harassment. She said she saw no point in engaging in a hearing session with the
council about sexual harassment, describing the hearing as “a waste of time.”
”The council knows quite well
the problem of sexual harassment,” she said. “They won’t put themselves in any
hassle coupled with issuing laws as long as a Peoples’ Assembly is expected to
replace them soon.”
Zohney condemned the council
members’ trial blaming the victim for the attacks instead of offering them
help. “In facing social problems regarding assaults on women, the easy way out
is always to separate them [the women] from the men,” Zohney said. “Yet, it’s
disastrous to hear such solutions coming out of the Shura Council.”
An international march condemning
sexual harassment in Egypt is scheduled to take place worldwide on Tuesday.
Protesters are expected to rally outside Egyptian embassies throughout the
world, and in Egyptian squares nationwide. Zohney expected the protests to gain
momentum as a result of the statements issued during the Shura Council’s
session.
*Photo courtesy of Ahmed Hamed/Aswat Masriya
The
Shura Council Human Rights Committee addressed on Monday the recent
wave of sexual harassment proliferating during mass protests, calling
for specifying places of protest for females.
“Women should not mingle with men during protests,” said
Reda Al-Hefnawy, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) member. “How can the
Ministry of Interior be tasked with protecting a lady who stands among a
group of men?”
Adel Afifi, a prominent board member of the Salafi Party
Al-Asala, blamed women for the sexual harassment phenomenon. “A woman
who joins protests among thugs and street inhabitants should protect
herself before asking the Ministry of Interior to offer her protection,”
Afifi said, adding that police officers are incapable of protecting
themselves.
Salafi Al-Nour Party member Salah Abdel Salam also believed
women were responsible for sexual harassment. “The woman bears the
offence when she chooses to protest in places filled with thugs,” Abdel
Salam said. He added that, nevertheless, the phenomenon needs to be
addressed.
“Women sometimes cause rape upon themselves through putting
themselves in a position which makes them subject to rape,” Afifi said.
He called for punishing the “children” who commit such acts even if
their punishment breaches international conventions.
“Some foreign-funded organisations are imposing western
beliefs upon us; tents present in some squares witness prostitution,” he
said.
Committee head Ezz al-Din Al-Komy stated during the session
that 24 acts of systematic rape cases have been observed in Tahrir
Square recently. Al-Komy criticised state-owned and independent media
outlets, accusing them of “putting the dragged protester Hamada Saber
under the spotlights while ignoring the sexually assaulted girls”.
Ahmed Al-Khatib, head of the Appeals Court, held the
political movements responsible for the assaults. He urged opposition
movements to stop calling for protests as long as they are incapable of
protecting the protesters against harassment.
Al-Khatib also stated that the non-governmental
organisations “ought to defend women’s rights instead of concerning
themselves with political issues”.
“What came out of the Shura Council today is horrible,”
said Sally Zohney, a women’s rights activist. “Those statements are
inhumane, to say the least.”
Zohney stated she doesn’t expect the Shura Council, the
current legislative authority, to issue a law banning sexual harassment.
She said she saw no point in engaging in a hearing session with the
council about sexual harassment, describing the hearing as “a waste of
time”.
”The council knows quite well the problem of sexual
harassment,” she said. “They won’t put themselves in any hassle coupled
with issuing laws as long as a Peoples’ Assembly is expected to replace
them soon.”
Zohney condemned the council members’ trial blaming the
victim for the attacks instead of offering them help. “In facing social
problems regarding assaults on women, the easy way out is always to
separate them [the women] from the men,” Zohney said. “Yet, it’s
disastrous to hear such solutions coming out of the Shura Council.”
An international march
condemning sexual harassment in Egypt is scheduled to take place
worldwide on Tuesday. Protesters are expected to rally outside Egyptian
embassies throughout the world, and in Egyptian squares nationwide.
Zohney expected the protests to gain momentum as a result of the
statements issued during the Shura Council’s session.
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpuf
The
Shura Council Human Rights Committee addressed on Monday the recent
wave of sexual harassment proliferating during mass protests, calling
for specifying places of protest for females.
“Women should not mingle with men during protests,” said
Reda Al-Hefnawy, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) member. “How can the
Ministry of Interior be tasked with protecting a lady who stands among a
group of men?”
Adel Afifi, a prominent board member of the Salafi Party
Al-Asala, blamed women for the sexual harassment phenomenon. “A woman
who joins protests among thugs and street inhabitants should protect
herself before asking the Ministry of Interior to offer her protection,”
Afifi said, adding that police officers are incapable of protecting
themselves.
Salafi Al-Nour Party member Salah Abdel Salam also believed
women were responsible for sexual harassment. “The woman bears the
offence when she chooses to protest in places filled with thugs,” Abdel
Salam said. He added that, nevertheless, the phenomenon needs to be
addressed.
“Women sometimes cause rape upon themselves through putting
themselves in a position which makes them subject to rape,” Afifi said.
He called for punishing the “children” who commit such acts even if
their punishment breaches international conventions.
“Some foreign-funded organisations are imposing western
beliefs upon us; tents present in some squares witness prostitution,” he
said.
Committee head Ezz al-Din Al-Komy stated during the session
that 24 acts of systematic rape cases have been observed in Tahrir
Square recently. Al-Komy criticised state-owned and independent media
outlets, accusing them of “putting the dragged protester Hamada Saber
under the spotlights while ignoring the sexually assaulted girls”.
Ahmed Al-Khatib, head of the Appeals Court, held the
political movements responsible for the assaults. He urged opposition
movements to stop calling for protests as long as they are incapable of
protecting the protesters against harassment.
Al-Khatib also stated that the non-governmental
organisations “ought to defend women’s rights instead of concerning
themselves with political issues”.
“What came out of the Shura Council today is horrible,”
said Sally Zohney, a women’s rights activist. “Those statements are
inhumane, to say the least.”
Zohney stated she doesn’t expect the Shura Council, the
current legislative authority, to issue a law banning sexual harassment.
She said she saw no point in engaging in a hearing session with the
council about sexual harassment, describing the hearing as “a waste of
time”.
”The council knows quite well the problem of sexual
harassment,” she said. “They won’t put themselves in any hassle coupled
with issuing laws as long as a Peoples’ Assembly is expected to replace
them soon.”
Zohney condemned the council members’ trial blaming the
victim for the attacks instead of offering them help. “In facing social
problems regarding assaults on women, the easy way out is always to
separate them [the women] from the men,” Zohney said. “Yet, it’s
disastrous to hear such solutions coming out of the Shura Council.”
An international march
condemning sexual harassment in Egypt is scheduled to take place
worldwide on Tuesday. Protesters are expected to rally outside Egyptian
embassies throughout the world, and in Egyptian squares nationwide.
Zohney expected the protests to gain momentum as a result of the
statements issued during the Shura Council’s session.
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpuf
Shura Council members blame women for harassment
Shura Council members blame women for harassmentS
Shura Council members blame women for harassment
Shura Council members blame women for harassment
Some members call for separating men and women during protests to
prevent sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to
rape
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpufShura Council members blame women for harassment
Some members call for separating men and women during protests to
prevent sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to
rape
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpufShura Council members blame women for harassment
Some members call for separating men and women during protests to
prevent sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to
rape
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpufShura Council members blame women for harassment
Some members call for separating men and women during protests to
prevent sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to
rape
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpusdfShura Council members blame women for harassment
Some members call for separating men and women during protests to
prevent sexual harassment, blaming women for subjecting themselves to
rape
- See more at: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/shura-council-members-blame-women-for-harassment/#sthash.Y1SIpBRf.dpuf
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