Egyptian woman beats her harasser, gets him arrested and goes viral

An Egyptian man who harassed a woman in public in Qana governorate was recently sentenced to three years in prison, Masrawy reported. 

The sentencing came after the victim of the assault, which dates back to late 2017 and now identified as Rania F., refused to let her harasser, Islam Sh., get away with his crime, publicly beating and attacking him after he groped her. 

In a video capturing the incident, the woman can be seen chasing after the man, then calling on passersby to help her stop him from escaping. Her attempts at getting the man arrested succeeded and he was eventually handed over to police. 

According to Masrawy, the brave woman took legal action against the abuser, even after receiving several threats demanding she withdraws her complaint. Following several court hearings, the man was finally sentenced and charged with sexually harassing the victim. 

The court's decision has since been hailed by hundreds of women's activists in Egypt who labeled it as historic, given that it's one of the first sexual harassment sentences to be passed in Egypt's Saeed region. 

The woman's story is making the rounds online with many sharing it and pointing out the importance of standing up to sexual harassment, which is a major issue for women in Egypt. 

According to a report released in 2013 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. 

The majority of Egyptians blame women for inciting the assaults they endure, claiming that victims who wear tight clothing are "asking for harassment."

And this probably explains why it is rare for victims to speak of their experiences. However, things seem to be changing slowly, with many courageous women recently opening up and sharing their stories. 

"Long live justice!"

"I applaud you, don't ever let go of your rights."