Sexual Harassment 3

Egyptian women, some men, fight sexual harassment - Print Vers...

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Egyptian women, some men, fight sexual harassment
The Associated Press Monday, February 9, 2009

ZAGAZIG, Egypt: Dressed in karate uniforms and track suits, the young Egyptian women break off in pairs and begin sparring, with one kicking and punching while the other tries to block the attacks. The nearly two dozen women and girls in a small gymnasium in this city of one million, north of Cairo, are learning to fight off assailants a rarity for women in the Arab world. Such self-defense classes have popped up in the last year across Egypt as this conservative Muslim country for the first time turns major attention to the issue of sexual harassment. Women and even some men also have launched campaigns against sexual harassment around Cairo, using Facebook to raise awareness among the country's Internet savvy youth. It's one way in which the Internet is turning public attention to issues that were kept hidden among Arabs in the past. Open discussion of the harassment issue first emerged two years ago after blogs in Egypt gave broad publicity to amateur videos showing men assaulting women in downtown Cairo during a major Muslim holiday. But a recent survey by a women's group, which found widespread harassment of women in Cairo and its environs, propelled the issue to one of the country's hottest topics. Even the government, long hostile to even discussing the issue, now appears ready to take action. Legislation to outlaw harassment is before the parliament, and police have arrested dozens of alleged perpetrators in recent months. In a landmark case in October, a judge handed a stiff sentence of three years in prison to a truck driver convicted of grabbing a 27-year-old woman's breasts as she walked by. "That was a turning point in attitudes. The judge sent a serious message that harassment is a serious crime," said Nehad Abul Komsan, the head...