WUNRN
EGYPT - VIGILS IN 35 COUNTRIES
CONDEMN ABUSE OF EGYPTIAN WOMEN ACTIVISTS
Al-Masry Al-Youm
-
February 12, 2013
Scores
of people held a vigil in
Meanwhile, dozens of mostly women also staged a protest on the stairs of Alexandria Library.
They held banners
that read "No to harassment," "A harasser is no human," and
"Be a man and protect women instead of harassing them," protesting
the harassment of women during marches and demonstrations around
They also demanded
harassers be punished for trying to scare women away from activism.
Similar gatherings
are being held in Damietta and Mansoura, according to Sally Zohny,
cofounder of the Facebook group "Uprising of Women in the Arab
World", which was one of the organizations behind the protests.
The demonstrations
are in conjunction with similar vigils being held in 35 countries on Tuesday.
The vigils, staged
outside Egyptian embassies and consulates, were in support of victims of sexual
harassment and violence in recent weeks following the second anniversary of the
Egyption revolution's beginning.
“We have received
photos and data from activists expressing their solidarity with this cause,”
she said.
Outside the Egyptian
Embassy in
Despite harsh
conditions, Syrians participated in an electronic vigil, apologizing for being
unable to demonstrate in person before the Egyptian Embassy in
This is the first
non-virtual initiative organized by the page that was founded by four women
from
Sexual harassment
and assaults at demonstrations are on the rise since the second anniversary of
the revolution.
Some observers
suggested the attacks are organized and systematic, with the intention both of
disparaging the protests and scaring women away from participating in the
public sphere.
Some activists
accused the Muslim Brotherhood of contributing to the attacks on those
protesting its rule.
Members of the Shura
Council Human Rights Council during a Monday session, said that given that
women know they will be attacked, they should take full responsibility for
choosing to take part in protests and marches.
The