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Egypt women wage war against 'sexual terrorism'
Faced with a spike in sexual violence against female protesters, Egyptian women are overcoming stigma and recounting painful testimonies to force silent authorities and a reticent society to confront "sexual terrorism."The victims of the attacks have been talking openly about their ordeals, insisting they will not be intimidated by a campaign they believe is aimed at shunning them from public life. "We are not victims, we are revolutionaries. What happened to us has made us stronger and we will continue" to take to the streets, said activist Aida al-Kashef. Harassment of women is by no means new on Egypt's streets, where they were often the target of verbal abuse and sometimes groping. But since the revolution that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the problem has snowballed, with women now being regularly attacked by mobs of men in and around Tahrir Square. The attackers have stripped women of their clothes with knives, sexually assaulted them and penetrated them with their fingers. Yasmine al-Baramawy, who was assaulted in November, highlighted the degree of violence when during a talk show she held up the ripped trousers she wore the day she was attacked. "They gathered around me and started ripping my clothes off with knives," Baramawy told AFP. She was then dragged several hundred metres (yards), while being touched and groped, until residents of neighbouring area saved her from the crowd. "I didn't feel sad or feel that my pride had been damaged. I felt angry, and I want justice," Baramawy said. Outraged Egyptians came together to form groups such as Operation Anti Sexual Harassment and Tahrir Bodyguard that bring together volunteers to intervene to stop the attacks in Tahrir Square where police are largely absent. The groups also offer medical and psychological support to the victims Posted by: tipper 2013-03-06 |
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