“Egyptian sexual harasser jailed” – I was heartened to read this! The victim, Ms Noha Oustath, bravely went public about her harassment and pursued the matter. This has resulted in the conviction of the harasser with three years’ rigorous punishment being awarded to him. You can read all about it on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7682951.stm

Earlier this month, during the Eid holidays, there had been a disturbing incident of a group of men sexually harassing some women in Mohandisseen on Gamaet-al-Dwal al arabiya street Later, in an incident outside the Metro Cinema in downtown, two women were groped and attempt also made to tear off their clothing.

More details on http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17001

Violence against women is prevalent in every country-some are highlighted and some incidents never come to light because of the reluctance of the victim to speak about the crime. Their reticence is understandable because most of the people, including the victim themselves, would blame the women for provoking the attack. In the case of Noha Oustath too, she was advised by the people who were a witness to her ordeal to forget about the matter and not go to the police.

A well-defined law pertaining to sexual harassment, providing for a framework for the victims to report the harassment and punish the perpetrators, is a pre-requisite to combat this phenomenon. Even then, the prejudices against women-it is the way a woman dresses and her attitude that incites such harassment-will limit the chances of reporting and conviction.