Shoft Ta7arosh (I Saw Harassment), an Egyptian initiative fighting sexual harassment of women, declared Monday that it would stand in the face of abuse during Eid festivities.
Under the slogan of "Warriors Against Harassment, for the security of women and girl in Egypt," Shoft Ta7arosh said that its volunteer teams would monitor six different areas in downtown Cairo as well as Kasr El Nile and Abdul Moneim Riyad streets. The group is also encouraging women to come out and enjoy their time without fearing the audacious and cruel acts of harassers.
"Sexual harassment is on a rise during any sort of public holiday or celebrations. These crimes are dangerous for women who are in desperate need of having safe streets guarded by decent people" the group told Daily News Egypt.
Shoft Ta7arosh also said it rejected any sort of violence and, thus, would respect all human rights standards when apprehending harassers. The group of volunteers seeks to put a stop to the cultural norm of gender inequality and aims to highlight the means of ending all forms of violence against women.
Due to its profound work on Egyptian streets after the revolution, which proved to be the ultimate high for violent crimes committed against women, Shoft Ta7arosh has successfully established connections within the Interior Ministry to help coordinate with the police. However, the hugely supported initiative is still pleading with the ministry to do more. For instance, it is already in talks with the ministry to enable women to file a police report at the location where the harassment took place instead of having to catch the perpetrator and quite literally drag them to the police station.
The initiative stated that it's a basic right to avoid social embarrassment and harassment and therefore, it is also a woman's right to file a police report on the spot. However, on multiple occasions, women are the victims of a group of harassers or perpetrators that were able to get away. Also, to file a police report, women need to have two witnesses of the crimes committed and often people refuse to accompany women on the grounds of not wanting to "destroy" the harasser's life.
“We ask the ministry to provide policewomen all day in vital areas such as parks and in front of movie theaters, and we also demand those female officers to contribute to crime prevention,” the initiative said, according to Daily News Egypt.
The group of young Egyptian men and women has stepped up the game in battling sexual violence and crimes against women and they involved should be deemed national heroes and idols for coming generations.