news.com.auShocking footage shows woman being abused and harassed while walking through Cairo University6 days ago March 26, 2014 11:55AM
SHOCKING footage of a woman being sexually harassed by groups of men as she walked through a university grounds has gone viral and sparked global outrage.
[VIDEO AT LINK]
The unnamed blonde woman is pictured making her way through the grounds of Cairo University as groups of baying men yell and repeatedly whistle at her.
The YouTube footage, posted on March 18 has already been viewed more than 100,000 times and has sparked worldwide condemnation.
The Dean of the Cairo University Law School, Gaber Nasser has also come under fire after appearing to suggest the woman asked for the harassment due to her clothing choice.
He sparked anger saying heat her outfit was “a bit unconventional”.
“This girl entered the university wearing an abaya [a loose cloak] and then took it off in the faculty, and appeared with those clothes, that caused, in reality — but this doesn’t justify at all — [the incident],” he told Egyptian channel ONTV.
But he later claimed he had been misquoted and apologised on Twitter for the comment.
“I assure that this is not true and I apologise for the misunderstanding and I repeat that those who [harassed the girl] will be severely punished,” he posted.
Wearing jeans and a bright pink long top, the woman is constantly jeered and wolf-whistled as she makes her way through the campus grounds.
At one point some of the men even touch her and attempt to pull at her clothes.
Fathi Farid, founding member of the anti-sexual harassment group, I Saw Harassment, said male students had verbally attacked the woman and attempted to undress her, AFP reported.
Guards were forced to escort the woman off the campus after she hid in a toilet to escape the harassment, Al Arabiya News reported.
The woman’s plight sparked a raft of reaction on social media with many condemning Egypt for not doing enough to protect its women and slamming Mr Nasser in particular for his offensive comments.
CairoUni's head, Gaber Nasser, should be interrogated and expelled, investigations into the incident should start immediately.
— MK مريم (@MariamKirollos) March 18, 2014
Seriously I can't get over that Gaber Nasser is the head of CU. How devastating that this mentality heads Egypt's prominent institute!
— Omnia Al Desoukie (@Omniaaldesoukie) March 17, 2014
Egypt is infamous for its appalling treatment of women and sexual harassment remains one of the biggest problems.
A UN report released in April last year found the issue had reached “unprecedented levels”. About 99 per cent of women in the country said they had been subjected to sexual harassment.
Amnesty International also reports discriminatory laws and practices remain in place relating to marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance.
When sexual harassment is reported, it is either dismissed or ignored, according to Amnesty’s State of The World Human Rights Report 2013.
In March 2011, an army doctor was acquitted in a military court in relation to forced “virginity testing” of women protesters.
