Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW) announced Thursday dedicating an operations room for receiving harassment reports from women during Eid al-Adha holiday.
Females can place complaints using the hotline number – 08008883888 – from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the holiday.
NCW will cooperate with the unit of combating violence against women at the ministry of interior to ensure swift intervention in cases of harassment, Head of the council Mervat Talawi said.
Meanwhile, “Shoft Taharosh” (I saw harassment), a local initiative launched in 2013 to counter sexual harassment and abuse, announced it will be active during Eid al-Adha holiday in Cairo and Kafr el-Sheikh governorates.
The volunteer-based initiative has a team that patrols the streets to keep an eye on harassers and provide victims with free legal and emotional support, maintaining women’s right to enjoy safe streets.
“The downtown Cairo area is infested with sexual harassment crimes and attacks against women and girls,” the initiative said.
Thirteen incidents of sexual harassment were reported in downtown Cairo on the first day of Eid al-Fitr late July, despite the intense security preparations. Three of the incidents were group assaults and only two people filed reports to the police, the initiative added.
Security measures will be stepped up during Eid to arrest sexual harassers, Talawi said, adding that the NCW shall provide legal assistance to women who file lawsuits against their predators.
Holiday seasons in Egypt have become associated with a peak in sexual violence and mass incidents of harassment and rape.
A study by UN Women in 2013 found that 99.3 percent of Egyptian women and girls reported having been subjected to verbal or physical harassment.