An Open Letter To Every Sexual Harasser

There have been uncountable statistics and reports that list Egypt as one of the countries with the highest rate of sexual harassment. Any Egyptian girl, no matter where she lives, what her social status is or how she dresses, has had her share of sexual harassment incidents, whether verbally or physically.

And I, one of these Egyptian girls, am no different. I understand that this is a very personal subject to each and every girl, and I’m anything but the angry ranty type myself, but keeping quiet about it only adds salt to injury.

Therefore, inspired by a recent incident to a friend, I decided to speak on her and every Egyptian girl’s behalf. So, here goes…

(Dear) Sexual Harasser,

Why do we still have to pay for your ignorance? Why do we still have to pay for your barbarity and inhumanity? Why do we have to pay for the misconceptions that our society raised you to?

What makes you thinks it’s okay to let your animal instincts drive you, we will never understand. What makes you thinks it’s okay to invade the privacy and sanctity of our bodies, we will never understand. What makes you think that we are asking for it, we will never understand. What makes you thinks that you will get away with it, every single time, we will never understand.
 
How you’re still living with yourself, and how you’re able to look yourself in the mirror, we will never understand.

We wish that your tongue was cut before it spat out any inappropriate comment or any sleazy whistle in our direction. We wish that your hand was burned to ashes before it touched any part of our bodies. We wish that your eyeballs fell off before you gave us the most deprived of looks.

You’re a pig. No no no, that’s insulting to pigs. You’re a monster. You have rid yourself of any form of humanity. You should be eliminated completely from our society, until you receive appropriate punishment. And should you not learn your lesson and keep harassing and terrifying every girl in sight, then you should rot in the deepest ring of hell.

And to everyone who still justifies the acts of these harassers, who still blame the girl and the way she dresses and who thinks she’s asking for it, read the previous paragraph. Because you’re really no different.

Your existence among us is not okay. Having any of us be scared to walk in any side street just because she fears what might happen to her is not okay. Having one of us be mentally undressed by everyone of you as she passes by is not okay. Having one of us be raped by a group of you in a public square in the middle of the day is not okay.
 
So rest assured because we will not be silenced any more. We will not give up on our basic human rights. We will not let society’s defected look to women deter us. We will not be afraid, and we will not be ashamed anymore. We will do anything and everything we can to make sure that you get what you deserve.
 

Yours disgustedly,
Every Egyptian girl

WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss ” Viral Visual: Sexual Harassment Across the Arab World”