Egyptian women blamed for country’s rising sexual attacks

‘A woman contributes 100 percent to being raped,’ says former police general Controversial comments made by a former Egyptian government official, have brought the country’s rising incidents of sexual violence under the spotlight yet again. Speaking to a US-based newspaper, Dr Adel Abd el-Maksoud Afifia, a former police general, said: “Sometimes, a woman contributes 100 percent to being raped by putting herself in such conditions.”
The comments have caused outrage among the countries women’s rights campaigners, who have seen a spike in the number of sexual assaults on women since the Arab Spring revolutions disposed of the former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Pakinam el-Sharkawy, President Mohammed Morsi’s political adviser and Egypt’s highest-ranking woman in politics, condemned Afifia’s statement as “completely unacceptable.”
She believes the increase in attacks is down to the “general breakdown in security” but also blamed the refusal of protesters to allow the police into key areas vulnerable to sexual violence.
“The protesters insist on keeping security out of the square, even to regulate traffic,” she said.
Many blame the rise in harassment, on the absence of security after the dismantling of Mubarak’s dreaded state police, saying it highlights the failure of the current government in protecting its citizens.
The situation has become an embarrassing one for the ruling Islamist government, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has continued to trade blame with other organisations and opposition parties over the cause of the increase in sexual attacks.
Hardliners in the government, including lawmaker Reda Saleh Al al-Hefnawi, has blamed women for the increasing attacks, questioning their participation in ongoing protests.
 “How do they (the public) ask the Interior Ministry to protect a woman when she stands among men?” said al-Hefnawi at a parliamentary session in January.
Other ultraconservative Islamists often considered a political power alongside the Brotherhood, condemned women for speaking out at all.
“You see these women speaking like ogres, without shame, politeness, fear or even femininity,” declared television preacher Ahmed Abdullah, known as Sheik Abu Islam.
Such women are “like demons,” he said, advising viewers not to sympathise with these “naked” women who “went there to get raped.”
Victims of sexual violence such as journalist Hania Moheeb have condemned such remarks as “scandalous” and accused Islamist lawmakers of being complicit in the attacks.
Moheeb was attacked during the Mubarak protests in February 2011, while covering his resignation. She was stripped and assaulted by a gang of men for 45 minutes before being rescued by ambulance services.  
“When ordinary people say such things, ignorance might be an excuse,” Moheeb said, “but when somebody in the legislature makes such comments, they’re encouraging the assailants.”
On Sunday, the Morsi government held a meeting to discuss plans on how to tackle the problem, focusing on a draft legislation to criminalise sexual harassment.
However, women’s rights advocates say the bill will do nothing to protect women from social attitudes that victims faces in hospitals, police stations and in Parliament which often deter them from pursuing legal action.
Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square has become a no-go zone for women in recent years, despite men and women protesting side by side for 18 days straight in 2011, calling for the overthrow of Mubarak’s regime. The day of his resignation on February 21 2011, is seen by many as a turning point in attitudes towards women, after the high profile sexual assault on CBS journalist Lara Logan while covering the event.
Although statistics are thin on the ground, women’s rights organisation in Egypt, have confirmed that 18 separate sexual assaults took place on the day of Mubarak’s resignation, with one woman stabbed in the genitals and another six needing hospital treatment.
As similar incidents continue to rise, victims of sexual assaults in Tahrir Square are frequently speaking out about their ordeals.
“When I see Mohamed Mahmoud Street on television from home, my hand automatically grabs my pants,” Yasmine al-Baramawy said in television interview.
Al-Baramawy and a friend were attacked by two gangs while walking past Tahrir Square in November last year. One gang initially claimed to be protecting the friends but eventually joined in on the attack, stripping the girls and tying their half-naked bodies to the hoods of their cars. The girls were then tormented during an hour long drive. They were eventually rescued local residents.
With police protection often referred to as “negligible”, many women are taking their security into their own hands. During a recent march in Tahrir square to highlight the problem, several women were spotted holding knives and other weapons.
“Don’t worry about me,” said Abeer Haridi, a 40-year-old lawyer who attended the march. “I’m armed,” she said.