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Belligerent Drunk
Egyptian men explain their relentless catcalls
Egyptian men explain their relentless catcalls - CSMonitor.com
Mohammad Anter hands out flyers to evening crowds on a packed Cairo street, trying to catch the attention of any passerby until one catches his.
In Egypt's Tahrir Square, women attacked at rally on International Women's Day On International Women's Day, Egyptian women demand revolutionary role In Cairo, an effort to put sexual harassment on the map via Twitter and text Topics
Sexual Harassment Women's Issues Social Issues Marriage Relationships Culture and Lifestyle Hey, hot chic! he yells. You have beautiful eyes! Mr. Anter is a computer science student and salesman at a small shop here; he is one of Cairos many casual harassers.
Were an Eastern culture, so its all right for me to yell out when Im attracted to someone, I do it, he says, surrounded by fluorescent store lights and shoppers in every direction.
Anter is not alone: The Egyptian Center for Womens Rights found in a 2008 study that 83 percent of women are sexually harassed and roughly half of Egypt's women experience such treatment on a daily basis.
Many thought that men like Anter had changed during Egypt's uprising five months ago. When hundreds of thousands converged on Tahrir Square in a collective effort to oust President Hosni Mubarak, men and women stood side by side in unified protests with few instances of sexual harassment.
But while activists say the revolution was a step in the right direction, the popular demand for greater freedom has not necessarily brought a greater recognition of women's rights or reprieve from harassment.
"Just because Mubarak stepped down doesnt make people anymore educated or aware of how to behave appropriately and respectfully, says Amy Mowafi, editor of an Egyptian womens magazine called Enigma.
Activists are seeking to make people more aware, however, most recently with a June 20 Twitter campaign under the hashtag #endSH. Offline, Nazra for Feminist Studies is working on building a grassroots feminist movement. And in early June, an Egyptian womens Charter was released with half a million signatures of people calling for womens social and political representation and equal economic and legal rights.
Men blame delayed marriages, inappropriate clothing
Down the street from Anter, a group of young men guarding their carts of colored T-shirts say they didnt have time to think about hassling women during Egypt's 18-day uprising; they were concerned with political aims. Now theyre back to their monotonous jobs and catcalling is a way to pass the time and make casual jokes.
Egyptian men explain their relentless catcalls - CSMonitor.com