(AFP Photo)
The I Saw Harassment (Shoft Tahrosh) initiative was able to put an end to 17 cases of verbal and physical harassment in two governorates during Easter, the campaign announced on Monday.
The anti-harassment campaign was active on the streets during the Egyptian national holiday to combat sexual harassment. Cases of sexual harassment usually spike during feasts and national holidays in Egypt.
Out of nine sexual harassment cases the campaign handled in Cairo, I saw Harassment reported three cases of mob harassment and several cases of verbal harassment. The campaign was also active in the Kafr Al-Sheikh governorate, where they intervened in eight cases of sexual harassment, mostly involving verbal harassment.
The initiative issued a set of recommendations for handling sexual harassment. It called for the swift issuance of a “fair” legislation to criminalise sexual violence and harassment. The campaign added that the legislation must also provide a mechanism for rehabilitating the perpetrators of the act as well as supporting the victims.
The campaign acknowledged the efforts of the Ministry of Interior’s Violence against Women Directorate in coordinating with campaign members during their fieldwork in downtown Cairo during Easter. It nevertheless urged for training and rehabilitating security personnel within the ministry in a manner which would pave the way for gender equality.
I Saw Harassment is usually active on the streets during national holidays in an effort to put an end to sexual harassment incidents. The campaign stopped 65 cases of sexual harassment during the four-day Eid Al-Adha last year.
