الجمعة، 29 أغسطس 2008

Menassat: Eye Candy for the Egyptian Man

A recent study by an Egyptian women's rights group claims that a whopping 83 percent of Egyptian women have been exposed to sexual harassment of some kind. Various groups have launched media campaigns to raise awareness, but some of them appear to be blaming the victims.


Egypt's recent "lollipop" email campaign seems to suggest that unveiled women are "asking for it." R.R.BEIRUT, August 29, 2008 (MENASSAT) – Around a month ago, "Anna" was making her way home after having spent the night at a friend's house in Cairo. Three blocks from her house, two men suddenly rushed towards her from the street and started groping her. "They put their hands down my top. In my shock and fear it felt like a hundred hands. The guy in front of me, the one with his hands in my clothes, was the one I focused on and I kicked and yelled and hit him until they let go and then I ran home crying and screaming. Because I was walking home by myself I was carrying my house keys in my hand. So the guy was repeatedly hit with my keys until he let go," she wrote in an email to MENASSAT. In June this year, the Cairo-based Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) released an alarming study on sexual harassment in Egypt, describing the issue as "a cancer-like problem."According to the survey, 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women said they had experienced sexual harassment. More than half of the Egyptian men questioned for the survey, 62 percent, admitted to having harassed women, and 53 percent of them blamed the women for "bringing it on." These shocking statistics have shocked a number of groups into taking action, embarking on media campaigns to raise awareness of and advocate against sexual harassment.ECWR was one of the first to start a campaign against sexual harassment a few years back, publicly exposing a subject that was taboo in Egyptian society. Lollipops and candy"It's about momentum. We have been running a campaign since 2005, called "Making Our Streets Safer For Everyone," and until recently we were the only ones promoting this issue. When we started, we couldn't even say the words sexual harassment," ECWR's Rebecca Chiao said in an online interview. But some of the new campaigns have raised controversy because they appear to be blaming the victim.Take the case of the "lollipop" email campaign, which urges women to cover up to protect themselves from harassment. In an email that was recently circulated in Egypt's blogging and activist communities is a photo montage depicting two bright red lollipops; one of them is covered in a wrapper, the other is uncovered and swarmed by flies. "You can't stop them, but you can protect yourself", reads the body of the email, the sender of which is unknown.
From left to right: the recent "candy campaign," and earlier awareness campaigns by Kelemetna and ECWR.A similar montage that was widely circulated via email and on billboards shows two pieces of candy. One of them juxtaposes a veiled woman and a wrapped piece of candy, depicting her ‘purity’. The other piece of candy is unwrapped with an unveiled woman in the background, her long hair flying in the wind. Just like with the lollipops, the uncovered candy is covered with flies. "A veil to protect or eyes will molest," reads the accompanying slogan. Whoever is behind this latest campaign, the emails have sparked debate, fury, and laughter on the Egyptian blogosphere. Some have expressed anger over them, linking the campaigns to the heightened social pressure on Egyptian women to wear the veil; others dismiss it as a kitschy and distasteful campaign. "I think if I were a woman I would prefer to be a pearl in the shell rather than a piece of cheap candy," read an ironic comment posted on the blog, The Skeptic. With or without the veilInterestingly, ECWR's study suggests that dressing modestly or religiously conservative makes no difference in terms of harassment. In fact, the survey concluded that the majority of harassed women were veiled women. In some cases, veiled women who had been exposed to harassment actually blamed themselves. On another blog, The Arabist, a veiled commentator writing under the nickname Loubna, argued that wearing the veil is by no means a deterrent for harassment. "Let me tell you something, I have been veiled for 2 years, wearing very conservative clothes with the hijab and I was still constantly verbally harassed in the streets of Cairo. The veil doesn't protect. It's only a religious practice but it doesn't protect you. If someone is sexually frustrated, he will sexually harass you whether verbally or physically with or without the veil," she wrote. Women's rights groups demand anti-harassment legislation on the steps of Cairo's Journalists' Syndicate shortly after the 2006 Eid incident. © Alexandra SandelsPerhaps most shocking of all are the reasons for harassment given by the Egyptian men questioned for the study. Some said they did it simply out of "boredom." One man, who admitted to having harassed a woman wearing the full niqab, said the woman must have been either "beautiful" or "hiding something" for her to cover her face completely.In an attempt to reclaim the moral compass of Egyptian men, the Egyptian Youth Magazine Kelemetna recently started a campaign against sexual harassment that focuses on the perpetrators and not the victims. Under the slogan, "Respect yourself: Egypt still has real men," the campaign seeks to deter men from sexually harassing women and to confront harassers whenever they spot them. Kelemetna-sponsored groups of volunteers ranging between the ages of 14 and 24, cruise the streets of Cairo and talk directly to men and women about the issue of harassment. "Our campaign is directed to a passive society and to each man who thinks that nobody would stop him if he harassed a woman on the street. We want to tell the harasser to respect himself and that he will find a man to stand up to him on the street," the campaign's coordinator, Ahmed Salah, recently told the Los Angeles Times. Police apathy"In the past, men were more gallant and protective'" Salah said. "They used to arrest the harasser and punish him by shaving his head. But things are different now." These days, many women choose to not even report harassers to the police. "Anna's" visit to the police station after her harassment goes a long way to explain why."I went to the police station a couple of days later with two Egyptian friends, both lawyers. The police kept asking me to change my story. They wanted me to remove any reference to actual breast groping because I was a foreigner and they were worried about an international incident. They also repeatedly tried to make excuses for the men:, saying, 'They must have been drunk,' or 'It's just young guys having some fun.' They even asked me not to contact my embassy. I did it anyway."So, given the general apathy and the reluctance on the part of the police, can media awareness campaigns even make a dent? Many critics are skeptical, saying that the only solution is for parliament to adopt new legislation to criminalize sexual harassment. Women's rights groups have been campaigning relentlessly for such legislation ever since the infamous Eid Al-Fitr incident in late 2006, when a mob of young men assaulted women, tearing their clothes off and groping them, in plain sight in the center of Cairo. Video footage of the incident quickly made its way to the Egyptian blogosphere and from there to the Egyptian and international mainstream media.ECWR's Rebecca Chiao is optimistic that a draft bill from Egypt's government-controlled National Council for Women will finally be brought to a vote at the next session of Egypt's parliament. Because the subject is till taboo in Egyptian society, Chiao says the importance of the media in bringing the problem to the foreground cannot be underestimated."The success of our campaign depended a lot on media coverage. The majority of men we surveyed in our last study said they received information about harassment primarily from the media."
Alexandra Sandels
Menassat
recent study by an Egyptian women's rights group claims that a whopping 83 percent of Egyptian women have been exposed to sexual harassment of some kind. Various groups have launched media campaigns to raise awareness, but some of them appear to be blaming the victims.
By ALEXANDRA SANDELS

Egypt's recent "lollipop" email campaign seems to suggest that unveiled women are "asking for it." R.R.BEIRUT, August 29, 2008 (MENASSAT) – Around a month ago, "Anna" was making her way home after having spent the night at a friend's house in Cairo. Three blocks from her house, two men suddenly rushed towards her from the street and started groping her. "They put their hands down my top. In my shock and fear it felt like a hundred hands. The guy in front of me, the one with his hands in my clothes, was the one I focused on and I kicked and yelled and hit him until they let go and then I ran home crying and screaming. Because I was walking home by myself I was carrying my house keys in my hand. So the guy was repeatedly hit with my keys until he let go," she wrote in an email to MENASSAT. In June this year, the Cairo-based Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) released an alarming study on sexual harassment in Egypt, describing the issue as "a cancer-like problem."According to the survey, 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women said they had experienced sexual harassment. More than half of the Egyptian men questioned for the survey, 62 percent, admitted to having harassed women, and 53 percent of them blamed the women for "bringing it on." These shocking statistics have shocked a number of groups into taking action, embarking on media campaigns to raise awareness of and advocate against sexual harassment.ECWR was one of the first to start a campaign against sexual harassment a few years back, publicly exposing a subject that was taboo in Egyptian society. Lollipops and candy"It's about momentum. We have been running a campaign since 2005, called "Making Our Streets Safer For Everyone," and until recently we were the only ones promoting this issue. When we started, we couldn't even say the words sexual harassment," ECWR's Rebecca Chiao said in an online interview. But some of the new campaigns have raised controversy because they appear to be blaming the victim.Take the case of the "lollipop" email campaign, which urges women to cover up to protect themselves from harassment. In an email that was recently circulated in Egypt's blogging and activist communities is a photo montage depicting two bright red lollipops; one of them is covered in a wrapper, the other is uncovered and swarmed by flies. "You can't stop them, but you can protect yourself", reads the body of the email, the sender of which is unknown.
From left to right: the recent "candy campaign," and earlier awareness campaigns by Kelemetna and ECWR.A similar montage that was widely circulated via email and on billboards shows two pieces of candy. One of them juxtaposes a veiled woman and a wrapped piece of candy, depicting her ‘purity’. The other piece of candy is unwrapped with an unveiled woman in the background, her long hair flying in the wind. Just like with the lollipops, the uncovered candy is covered with flies. "A veil to protect or eyes will molest," reads the accompanying slogan. Whoever is behind this latest campaign, the emails have sparked debate, fury, and laughter on the Egyptian blogosphere. Some have expressed anger over them, linking the campaigns to the heightened social pressure on Egyptian women to wear the veil; others dismiss it as a kitschy and distasteful campaign. "I think if I were a woman I would prefer to be a pearl in the shell rather than a piece of cheap candy," read an ironic comment posted on the blog, The Skeptic. With or without the veilInterestingly, ECWR's study suggests that dressing modestly or religiously conservative makes no difference in terms of harassment. In fact, the survey concluded that the majority of harassed women were veiled women. In some cases, veiled women who had been exposed to harassment actually blamed themselves. On another blog, The Arabist, a veiled commentator writing under the nickname Loubna, argued that wearing the veil is by no means a deterrent for harassment. "Let me tell you something, I have been veiled for 2 years, wearing very conservative clothes with the hijab and I was still constantly verbally harassed in the streets of Cairo. The veil doesn't protect. It's only a religious practice but it doesn't protect you. If someone is sexually frustrated, he will sexually harass you whether verbally or physically with or without the veil," she wrote. Women's rights groups demand anti-harassment legislation on the steps of Cairo's Journalists' Syndicate shortly after the 2006 Eid incident. © Alexandra SandelsPerhaps most shocking of all are the reasons for harassment given by the Egyptian men questioned for the study. Some said they did it simply out of "boredom." One man, who admitted to having harassed a woman wearing the full niqab, said the woman must have been either "beautiful" or "hiding something" for her to cover her face completely.In an attempt to reclaim the moral compass of Egyptian men, the Egyptian Youth Magazine Kelemetna recently started a campaign against sexual harassment that focuses on the perpetrators and not the victims. Under the slogan, "Respect yourself: Egypt still has real men," the campaign seeks to deter men from sexually harassing women and to confront harassers whenever they spot them. Kelemetna-sponsored groups of volunteers ranging between the ages of 14 and 24, cruise the streets of Cairo and talk directly to men and women about the issue of harassment. "Our campaign is directed to a passive society and to each man who thinks that nobody would stop him if he harassed a woman on the street. We want to tell the harasser to respect himself and that he will find a man to stand up to him on the street," the campaign's coordinator, Ahmed Salah, recently told the Los Angeles Times. Police apathy"In the past, men were more gallant and protective'" Salah said. "They used to arrest the harasser and punish him by shaving his head. But things are different now." These days, many women choose to not even report harassers to the police. "Anna's" visit to the police station after her harassment goes a long way to explain why."I went to the police station a couple of days later with two Egyptian friends, both lawyers. The police kept asking me to change my story. They wanted me to remove any reference to actual breast groping because I was a foreigner and they were worried about an international incident. They also repeatedly tried to make excuses for the men:, saying, 'They must have been drunk,' or 'It's just young guys having some fun.' They even asked me not to contact my embassy. I did it anyway."So, given the general apathy and the reluctance on the part of the police, can media awareness campaigns even make a dent? Many critics are skeptical, saying that the only solution is for parliament to adopt new legislation to criminalize sexual harassment. Women's rights groups have been campaigning relentlessly for such legislation ever since the infamous Eid Al-Fitr incident in late 2006, when a mob of young men assaulted women, tearing their clothes off and groping them, in plain sight in the center of Cairo. Video footage of the incident quickly made its way to the Egyptian blogosphere and from there to the Egyptian and international mainstream media.ECWR's Rebecca Chiao is optimistic that a draft bill from Egypt's government-controlled National Council for Women will finally be brought to a vote at the next session of Egypt's parliament. Because the subject is till taboo in Egyptian society, Chiao says the importance of the media in bringing the problem to the foreground cannot be underestimated."The success of our campaign depended a lot on media coverage. The majority of men we surveyed in our last study said they received information about harassment primarily from the media."
Alexandra Sandels
29/08/08

الأربعاء، 16 يوليو 2008

Menassat: Women, Media and Politics in Lebanon

In a country where over half of the population are women, Lebanon lacks political representation even more than some of its other Arab neighbors. MENASSAT's Simba Russeau looks at the roles women are seeking to fulfill in Lebanon after the formation of a national unity government last week.
BEIRUT, July 16, 2008 (MENASSAT) – Lebanese women have made great strides in the private sector and are highly visible in the mainstream media as presenters and journalists. But in a country in which women make up about 53 percent of the population – more than 2 million women – their basic rights and representation has been limited in politics.
Lebanon has created an image of being one of the most tolerant Arab countries when it comes to women. In comparison to other countries in the Arab region, Lebanese women represent 28 percent of the labor force ahead of Syria with 25 percent and Jordan, which has a 21 percent participation of women in the work force.
However, when it comes to political representation in government there is only 2.8 percent participation of Lebanese women, far less when compared to more authoritarian regimes like Syria (9.6 percent) and Jordan (5.4 percent). It is a trend that worries groups like the Collective for Research and Training on Development Action (CRTDA).
Last week, the group announced the re-launching of the "Right to Nationalize" campaign, which involves lobbying politicians and doing media advocacy on the right for Lebanese women to nationalize their children if marrying non-Lebanese.
"During our field awareness of every country we met with many parliamentarians and many offered support to working to amend the law so now we need to continue to put pressure on the new Lebanese cabinet and parliamentarians," says Gender Project Officer for CRTDA, Vera Hayek.
"We have a focus group that includes members of the media who are supporting the campaign but we are starting to implement a media advocacy campaign to get the media interested in the nationalization campaign," she told MENASSAT.
Women in black
In the 1992 elections, one woman from the north of the country, one from the south, and one from Mount Lebanon (central Lebanon) won parliamentary seats. This was the first time women arrived in parliament and it constituted a fundamental transformation, since women were only present in parliamentary life twice between 1952-1962.
The women entered the elections in 1992 with the aim of challenging the political discrimination against them. However, this undertaking did not win the level of support from women in Lebanon they expected, despite the fact that women had been economically very active in Lebanese society.
Historically, the most likely way for a woman to enter the political scene in Lebanon was to fill a post made absent by a male heir.
Examples include former Minister of Industry Leila Solh, Daughter of former Lebanese Prime Minister Riad Solh and aunt of the billionaire Prince Walid Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, former Minister of Health Wafaa Hamza, a Shiite close to the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Nayla Moawad widow of former president Rene Moawad who was the Social Affairs minister in the former government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"We have this saying in Lebanon that the only women who make it to parliament are those in black because they reached their positions due to the death of a family member," journalism student at Lebanese University Sahar Charara told MENASSAT.
"They only serve a role to represent their political party but are ineffective in working on behalf of women's rights in Lebanon," she added.
Based on research conducted by the CRTDA from studies on Lebanese males and females ages 23 – 34, there is a ratio of women to men in Lebanon of about 7 to 1. Statistically, the survey suggests that this is due mainly to the economic situation, which places a huge percentage of men of this age in job positions outside of Lebanon. But, this still constitutes an underrepresented demographic in political office.
Right to Nationalize
Legislation constitutes one of the main social obstacles facing women. Women are still discriminated against in laws concerning the family, nationality, the right to travel, and the right to work. Groups like the CRTDA contend that has made it difficult for Lebanese women to participate independently in public life.
The nationality law which the CRTDA is attacking was established in 1925 and a decree in 1994 granted nationalization of some children born to Lebanese mothers.
One of the main reasons for denying the right to nationalize their children has been the highly politicized issue of Palestinians and Syrians married to Lebanese women. Politicians claim to nationalize the children of these marriages will likely shake up the sectarian demographics of the country.
But according to Roula Masri, founder of the "Right to Nationalize" campaign, research conducted by CRTDA indicates that only 1,000 Lebanese women are married to foreigners. Based on data of Palestinians and foreigners registered with General Security indicates that 1.6% are married to Palestinians and only 6.6% are married to Iraqis but the numbers are inaccurate.
"We are going to be updating these numbers by doing field research to figure out the actual demographics," says Masri. "However, the issue is not about how many women are married to Palestinians, Syrians or other foreigners but that they have to amend this law to highlight that this is a human right."
Amending Laws
Morocco amended the nationality law in 2005, Algeria and Egypt in 2007.
However, Lebanon, Bahrain and Syria have not amended their laws but Bahrain is currently working with other members of the gulf region to make the nationality law a more visible issue. Algeria has been the most successful, in that women were able to amend the constitution as well as the law.
"We used several strategies like creating seminars with women’s associations, advocacy work and lobbying," said Algerian women's advocate Houria Chaouche.
"Most important was the will of the women who worked to demand that the laws be changed."According to Chaouche, women are visible on the social and economic level but are absent on the political level in Algeria. Although women are represented in the government they don’t represent the entire female population in a country where women constitute more than half of the society – trends that mirror the situation in Lebanon "
At the moment, the focus of civil society organizations in Algeria is to emphasize the importance of implementing policies that allow women into the cabinet and parliament," adds Chaouche. Chaouche told MENASSAT that in Algeria women were able to voice the need for their basic rights without restrictions from any government or political parties.
However, they faced difficulties in getting mainstream media involved due to government control of the main national media in Algeria, but extensive efforts were made to get the independent or grassroots media to provide coverage of the nationality campaign."
Working in partnership with Collective for Research and Training on Development Action (CRTDA), we are training journalists and media on mainstreaming gender in their stories and how to be aware of gender issues and being gender sensitive regarding issues in society," adds Chaouche. One effective tool used in Lebanon's nationalization campaign was the use of social networking via the Internet.
"We were able to take this issue beyond borders through the use of Facebook, which we set up a group to discuss the need of changing the nationality law," adds Masri. "Through this form of social networking we have been receiving numerous stories of Lebanese women who are living abroad. Many have children and would like to return to Lebanon with their families but are prohibited due to fact that they are unable to provide legal papers to their families."
Simba Russeau
Menassat
16-07-08