Egyptian TV broadcaster Manal Agha appeared on a private satellite TV channel with bruises all over her face ... in an attempt to protest domestic violence.
At the start of the segment, Agha began telling the audience her story and experience with domestic violence. She went on to explain that she had thought about canceling her TV show after being beaten up but decided to show up, hoping to encourage other victims of domestic abuse to speak out.
"Marriage is based on affection and compassion, not humiliation, beatings and a lack of self-restraint," she said, according to Al Arabiya.
"We must stand up against this violence and I encourage other women who are also victims of physical violence to stand up," she added.
Following a break on the show, Agha appeared without any signs of abuse on her face, revealing to the audience that the bruises were actually just makeup.
Agha said she wanted to raise awareness and reach out to women who have been victims of domestic violence for years and have chosen to remain in the dark.
With her latest stunt, she hopes to encourage women to fight back rather than remain silent.
Domestic abuse in Egypt
According to the Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) - which was carried out in 2005 - 47 percent of ever-married women in Egypt have reported being victims of physical violence.
The survey revealed that the perpetrator is often an intimate partner, but 45 percent said they had been subjected to physical abuse by someone other than their partner, including the father (53 percent) and the brother (23 percent).
Another survey by USAID in 2009 revealed that over 60 percent of married women in Egypt said they had experienced some form of violence during their marriage.
According to a 2013 report released by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment, despite it being a crime as per Egyptian law.
Articles 306 (a) and 306 (b) of the penal code stipulate that verbal, behavioral, phone, and online sexual harassment result in a prison sentence of six months to five years, and up to 50,000 Egyptian Pounds in fines.
But, it's the lack of enforcement of such laws that has resulted in such staggering statistics.
Domestic violence is not just a problem in Egypt, it's a regional and global one
According to the World Health Organization, 37 percent of married women in the East Mediterranean region - including several Arab countries - have been physically or sexually abused by their partners.
"Many countries in the Arab region still see violence against women and deal with it as a private issue and not a public issue," said Mehrinaz Elawady of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).