4 annotation. Final version

                           Is Veil an effective measure to prevent harassment?

Jessica Villasenor

100409908

For this fourth and last annotation I will continue the thematic in third annotation in order to give complete support to my argument. I already presented the point of view from women and religion perspective, now it is time to inquiry into the men’s reasons.

My principal resource this time is “Clounds in Egypt’s sky”, a pioneer research of the harassment phenomena in Egypt done by The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights in 2008. It was realized in response to the increasing number of complaints in harassment and rapes and the lack of similar studies. Conclusions from this research lead us to the relations between the veil and the crisis of identity in Egypt.

First at all, it is important to mention some statistics. Unemployment in Egypt has been increasing since the 90s. It reached 15% in men younger than 35 in 2012 (Wali, 2011, p. 1). This means a broad segment of male population with no job and it has been known, as Stack (2008) accurate exemplifies it, this so called waiting generation. However, the unemployment and the economical problems are far from being the main reasons for this situation. This generation “has nothing to fill their lives except TV and the Internet... Egyptians watch American actors do[ing] things that they cannot, like date or have premarital sex…” (Stack, 2008. p.1).  These men see behavior that they cannot do because it is forbidden in their society.  This contradiction has lead to the crisis of identity in Egypt.

The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (2008) shows that the common age for harasser is between 19-24 years old. This age is ¿coincidentally? the same range of age for the majority of unemployment man. The reasons for these men to harass a woman are the belief that harassment works to satisfy the repressed sexual desires, make them feel more masculine, more confident and stronger.

Figure 1. Egyptian Center for Women's Right (2008)

The above explained are the reason for men to incur into harassment, however, ¿what is the relation of these factors with the veil? Religious campaigns have claimed, and we may incorrectly assume that the veil may be an effective protective shield for women but the research and the deeds prove that statement to be false. The study reveals that there is no connection between the two facts. Figure 1 demonstrates it.  For example, we may think that a girl dressed like (2) or (4) would be more commonly harassed, but contrarily it is not. The majority of harassed women wear like (1) in Figure 1.  

The relation between the variables is clear, and the statistical support makes my argument more reliable. It is a pity that not even the veil can help women in Egypt to be safer from harassers, but it only confirms that the problems are deeper that what we think and the solution for this crisis of identity can only be reached through long terms restructuring society programs.

References

Rights, T. E. (2008). Clouds in Egypt's sky. Cairo: The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights.

Stack, L. (2008, September 23). In Egypt, sexual harassment grows. The Christian science monitor.Rertrieved from http:// www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2008/0923/p07s02-wome.html

Wali, S. (2011, February 1). Egypt finds freedom-From sexual harassment. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/egypt-protest-sexual-.harassment-women-drops-witnesses/story?id=1280463?page=2page=2#. UMNKMHfkLE4