‘Rape’ on the Red Sea and the Culture of Impunity

It’s no secret that there’s been a rise of sexual assault and rape against women in Egypt since the revolution and it’s not surprising when it happens to a foreigner, either. What’s surprising is our culture’s seemingly complete apathy towards the problem – the official reaction, or rather lack of action, is jaw dropping and just flat-out enraging.

This week, a British businesswoman vacationing in Sharm El Sheikh was reportedly raped by a security guard working at the five start resort she was staying in. The accused was escorting her to her room when it was said that he pushed the victim inside and proceeded to brutally rape her.

I’m sure there will be some instances of victim blaming (“How late was she coming home? What was she wearing? Was she drunk?”), but we’ll probably forget the story in a week, if we haven’t already.

And what of the accused? Has he been detained? Has he even at least been suspended from work until the investigation is completed? While we neglect to punish the person who committed the crime, the victim will continue to suffer both emotionally and physically.

And yet again, we as a society won’t move an inch.

People are now saying that sexual assault has risen specifically towards foreign women since the revolution. However, what people don’t seem to understand and are unable to wrap their heads around is the fact that sexual assault has risen towards ALL women – and not just foreigners.

This particular case received quite a bit of media attention abroad, which could harm Egyptian tourism in more ways than one. This incident took place in Sharm El Sheikh, at a five Start resort, to a foreigner, by a security guard. Need I say more?

Regardless of who the victim is or where she’s from, we are supposed to take care of her and ensure that due process is followed when it comes to the accused security guard. It’s an obligation really; we can’t just pretend that everything is okay or throw our hands up in the air hoping it will be.

Yet according to Human Rights Watch, the epidemic of sexual harassment and rape in Egypt is getting worse by the day because government officials implicitly – or even explicitly – condone this crime through impunity.

If a crime is not punished and is, in fact, blamed on the victim, how will it ever stop? Especially when we live in a culture with mindsets like that of General Adel Afifi, a former member of Egypt’s Shura Council, who blamed the women who were horrifically assaulted in Tahrir Square last year and went as far as to say, “sometimes a girl contributes 100% to her rape because she puts herself in these circumstances.”

Women are sexually assaulted regardless of their nationality, in locales across the country, by perpetrators who may be security guards or may be friends, but nothing will change until there is systematic will and action to punish those responsible.

Egyptian government, take note. Take care of your sexual assault victims and punish the perpetrators instead of trying to sweep shit under the rug.

WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss “Sexual Assault at Cairo University and Victim Blaming in Egypt“.