A woman’s adventure with sexual harassment in Egypt
A well detailed account by a female tourist of her encounter with sexual harassment. I counted nine instances by men from different social strata. At least, she acknowledges this is not an isolated national case, if that is some sort of relief.
Harassment in Italy is notorious. But the cat-calls I experienced in Venice and Rome pale in comparison to the shockingly sexual statements and shameless groping my roommate and I endured in Egypt.
This isn’t to say we didn’t expect it. After all, the United States warns its female citizens that they are “vulnerable to sexual harassment and verbal abuse” when traveling unescorted in Egypt. In a survey released by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights this summer, 98 percent of foreign women and 83 percent of Egyptian women reported that they’d been sexually harassed in the country.
So we prepared. I spent nearly $200 on more “appropriate attire” for the weeklong summer vacation, stocking up on long-sleeved shirts and ankle-length hippie skirts. We learned the Egyptian word for “No” — it’s “Laa.” I packed a pair of sunglasses to avoid eye contact, a scarf to cover my curves and a hat to cover my long hair when necessary.
Physically, we were prepared. Mentally, not so much. So if you’re a woman planning to travel alone, or even with other women, to Egypt to explore truly one of the most amazing civilizations in ancient history, I hope you learn from a few of our mistakes.
Though we don’t deserve it and shouldn’t have to tolerate it, this harassment is currently part of the price we pay to see the last standing wonder of the world.
By Lynn Doan for Hartford Courant
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