Harassments in Cairo get too physical

As a girl who has been living in Cairo since 1990 and who has never owned her own car so has made a habit of walking, taking cabs, taking trains, taking buses, etc I was not that shocked about the events that happened last Eid in the downtown area of Cairo. The fact that women in Egypt get harassed, touched, and looked at is not new news to me. What is new is the fact that it got THAT out of control! That is what frightened me initially because what I am used to is stupid guys in the street whispering words to you as you pass by or grabbing at your arm when noone is looking. That method of harassment left me believing that the harrassers were actually afraid to some extent; they didn't want others seeing what they were doing. On many occassions I would get harrassed and stop turn around and just look at the guy and he would look at the floor or to the sky so as not to draw attention to himself. This gave me a tiny level of security knowing that if the harrassment did at any point get out of control all I had to do was yell or shout and this guy would get into SO much trouble. But to have a big gang of guys bold enough to go around grabbing at girls and pulling at their clothes so shamelessly without a worry in the world...THIS is new and means that that small level of security I had, which allowed me to walk in the streets with my head held high, has dissappeared. Now if I screamed what would happen?

Another important thing that scared me about that event was that the point of no return which I have been worried about for years has actually arrived. In all my years here I have known, as you have all known, that Egypt's laws are not enforced and in most cases not followed. That always made me wonder as to how Egypt can be so safe yet so lawless! I chose to believe that we always felt safe here because at some level people had their morals whether they got it through the fact that Egyptians are generally very religious, and very family-oriented. People who are in close contact with their families and peers tend to be brought up with stronger values, and also scared of how they'd look in front of others if they did something wrong. This seemed to be enough at some time but I always kept fearing the day that the general public would realize "oh wow, I can do whatever I want and the police will do nothing about it...as long as its not against the government that is." This event to me made me think...oh oh has that day come? Have people realized that raping girls, grabbing them, stealing things, etc are not things they will be persecuted for? or at least not easily persecuted for?

I also wonder when did I get to the point where I could say "harrassment, yea I'm used to it" ? I would have never thought that anyone could ever get USED to harrassment...and why should anyone get used to it! Bottomline is girls dont get used to it, keep letting it annoy you so that you can feel the urge to do something about it, so you can have the courage to go to the police and report it instead of brushing it off as something that happens every day. Yes, these sick men are a major part of the problem but the fact that those girls who got attacked never reported it, the fact that none of us ever report it, is also a BIG part of the problem. And guys, keep your eyes open because I cannot tell you how many guys got sooooo shocked that this happened in Egypt, as if its the first time they have ever heard of such a thing...you cant imagine how irritating it is to realize that so many people dont even see this happening. IT IS NOT NEW!