A study released last week found that nearly half of Egyptian women are sexually harassed on a daily basis. The report, released by The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, stated that 46 percent of Egyptian women were harassed daily and 98 percent of foreign women were harassed while in the country, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Nihad Abu El-Qoumsan, head of The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, said most Egyptian women blame themselves for the harassment, reports the BBC. Contrary to popular belief, findings stated that unveiled women were not more likely to be harassed.
This self blame may be only one reason why only 12 percent of victims reported incidences to police last year, as reported by AFP. According to the Windsor Star, victims were also reluctant to report harassment because of a perceived lack of response from authorities. The centre that released the study is campaigning to elucidate the current sexual harassment law in hopes of making reporting the crime easier for Egyptian women.
