Egyptian women fight back as sexual assaults skyrocket

[Rainman05]

Egyptian women fight back as sexual assaults skyrocket - CBS News

(CBS News) CAIRO -- They came onto the square to demonstrate against the government, but this fight is not about politics. You can't see her, but there is a woman in the middle of the mob, and she is being assaulted. The fight between her attackers and those trying to rescue her is fierce: clubs are used, knives, even a makeshift blowtorch.

Filmmaker and activist Aida El Kashef made the video to show Egyptians what these mob attacks on women look like.

"It's not a fight, it's a girl inside, now their hands are in her pants, now they're doing this, now they're doing that," El Kashef says.

Asked why the police didn't intervene, she says, "I wouldn't trust a policeman saving me."

El Kashef says that 20 other women were assaulted that night. Sexual harassment has always been a part of life in Egypt, but before the revolution, there were few demonstrations, and mass sexual assaults were virtually unheard of. Not anymore.

Watch: Lara Logan breaks her silence on Tahrir Square assault, below.

El Kashef says there are women being assaulted at every protest.

"It's huge," she says. "It's basically -- it's something I've never seen before."

El Kashef and other activists decided to fight back. They formed teams that try to spot attacks as they happen, pushing their way in to rescue the victim.

"Basically, people just started grabbing me everywhere, trying to take off my clothes," she says. "My underwear was torn, and the thing is that it was not about the sexual assault at that moment, it's just that you're being pulled from every inch of your body."

There is more info on to the link, including video. Check it out if you want.

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Well, this is not surprise. We knew what is going on over there... this is no surprise. It is a surprise that it took so long for mainstream media to start noticing this. Of course the whole place is a disaster and if you're a woman trying to fight for human rights, well, you're going to have to suffer a lot. All the more respect to these women who stand up for themselves and fight to be seen as equals.

I can't wait for these guys to catch up with the times and start writing about the struggles women have to go through in Saudi Arabia, where brave women every day fight for their rights and to be seen as equals, not second class citizens, by DRIVING (they aren't allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia) despite the police brutality and persecution they suffer when they are caught and stopped.

 

[Rainman05]

So...

 

[Medusa]

hate speech ?

why cant they go to india and egypt ?

do you know your civilized west supported this arabian spring which helped the islamists overthrow more secular administrations and got teh power ?
as usual ,you know but ignore.

 

[lizzie]

do you know your civilized west supported this arabian spring which helped the islamists overthrow more secular administrations and got teh power ?
as usual ,you know but ignore.

Well, frankly, there are alot of stupid people over here, who believed that actual freedom and democracy would happen in the ME, without the populations at large being culturally prepared for it. I am not at all surprised at what has happened, as I expected it.

 

[Medusa]

Well, frankly, there are alot of stupid people over here, who believed that actual freedom and democracy would happen in the ME, without the populations at large being culturally prepared for it. I am not at all surprised at what has happened, as I expected it.

lizzie ,the western policy just aimed to establish new moderate ( islamist but in allyance with the west like saudi regime )islamist but obedient administrations in ME.they ignore these people living in these countries .they may be stoned to death as long as their greedy puppet governors keep their alliance with teh west