Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/women_s_safety/)
Egypt has a new law against sex harassment that was flagrantly flouted days later in Tahrir Square. Yet, the topic will likely be unmentionable. “Talking about it is seen as offensive,” says a safety activist in Cairo.
Recent attacks against women and girls during celebrations of the election and inauguration of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi are nothing new. The Egyptian government needs a comprehensive and coordinated approach to curb this sexual violence.
The new rape law in India steps up punishment of rape, stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks; a big achievement for safety activists. But they say it’s not enough to focus on the perpetrators. The government also needs to help people who survive these attacks.
Women’s rights activists in India are hailing a voluminous set of far-reaching legal proposals as a triumph of women’s activism. But they denounce a governmental ordinance announced on Sunday as falling far short.
A massive gathering is planned today in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to mark the second anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. Activists working to curb mob sex assaults won’t be celebrating. They’ll be watching for these assaults and victims who need help.
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Veterans of women’s safety activism say they have never, in decades of work, seen their society mobilize like this to confront the dangers and hostilities that women face. “It means violence against women is no longer just a woman’s issue.”
Women in Herat, AfghanistanCredit: UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein
(WOMENSENEWS)–