Reuters
It’s a heartbreaking thing to hear a single woman’s story of being sexually abused against her will. But can you imagine just how terrifying it must be to live in a city where almost 100 women has reported they were sexually assaulted in a span of four days? This happened in the beginning of June 30, where protestors gathered in Tahrir Square to demand that Egyptian President Mohamad Morsy resign.
Egyptian anti-sexual harassment groups confirmed that mobs sexually assaulted and some raped at least 91 women in Tahrir Square.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch said:
“The rampant sexual attacks during the Tahrir Square protests highlight the failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis in public spaces”.
“These serious crimes are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country’s development”.
Reuters
According to the Egyptian group Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, 46 attacks were confirms on June 30, 17 on July 1, and 23 on July 2. The group’s volunteers intervened to protect and evacuate women in 31 cases of sexual assault. One woman apparently required surgery after being raped with a “sharp object”. In other cases, women were beaten with metal chains, sticks and chairs, and even attacked with knives. Some were assaulted for as long as 45 minutes before they were able to escape. [Source]
The Human Rights Watch have recently released a video that highlights the stories of women who have been attacked.
Watch the video here:
