It seems that activists and lawyers pushing for these changes behind the scenes probably needed Mubarak’s support to pass the legislation, because it was an actual viable channel for reform. Despite this, I’m sure many of those same activists had serious issues with the Egyptian government and Mrs. Mubarak’s stamp on all legislation related to women and children.

Aliaa Dawood is a professor of mass communications at AUC and she presented on feminism in Egypt at the AUC Social Justice Conference in May 2011.

Harassmap collected blog posts here  (there are almost 150!)

It was heartening to see all the participation and I’m hoping all this energy will be directed toward other future efforts. I’ve collected some tweets that seems to capture some of the sentiments that were repeatedly expressed on June 20th:

frustration and debunking “justifications” for harassment

ghazalairshad: I want the right to walk where I want, whenever I want–whether inhijab or not. #endSH #Egypt @harassmap

ghazalairshad: Egyptian police/army officers should be the ones *protecting* me from street harassers, not the ones harassing me! #endSH #Egypt@harassmap

nourikam: #EndSH It really has nothing to do with what you wear. I walk the street in quite conservative, loose clothes. we need an attitudechange.

nadyashanab: what a woman wears should not be an excuse for sexual harassment of any kind - if u dont like what u see look in the otherdirection #endSH

ending victim-blaming

nawarabelal: No matter who is being harassed its not her\his fault #EndSH

LeilZahra: Women are not victims, they are not responsible, nor guilty. Focus should be on strong & decisive response to harassers. #endSH

fighting for equal rights and treatment

DinaSabet: Until men begin to view women as their equals, rather than objects, sexual harassment will persist in #Egypt. #endSH.

MAswad: The debate of masculinity vs. femininity is so freaking outdated. Now there is something called HUMAN. Period. #GetOverIt #EndSH

3awadalla : Why do we want to end sexual harassment and violence?Because we want to dignity and safety for all Egyptians! #EndSH

NadaAbdElAziem: I got the right to walk down the streets w/out being harassed or offended & so do u!! So, I’m defending that right & so should u!! #endSH

calls to action

Gsquare86: We need anti- sexual harassment #graffiti on Egyptian streets #endSH cc: @ganzeer

joellehatem: The absence of a law criminalizing sexual harassment encourages such behavior http://bit.ly/lCRGwT #endSH #Lebanon

LaSoubrette: Take action , get involved lets cause a fuss ! talk to others , report your harasser make it know that its unacceptable #EndSH

3aasy: two, men MUST stand up to other men who SH, ESP in the street & amongst their friends: men need to say NO, men need to STOP! #endSH #Egypt

Izbella: We need serious laws with swift implementationagainst the crime #endSH

beyond Egypt 

Elhwwary: sexual harassment is a global phenomenon,not exclusive for Egypt#Endsh

Any particular tweets that felt were especially powerful? Feel free to send them my way!

Really seems to be an outpouring of thoughts and support online – the hope is to direct this energy into changing the rampant harassment that we face every day. Nazra for Feminist Studies and HarassMap are holding a joint meeting to discuss what comes after this day of blogging/tweeting/sharing. Tues, June 21, 44 Talaat Harb St. , Cairo

Hit it on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170454286351470

Feel free to email me for the draft agenda and registration form at khallez@aucegypt.edu

Additionally, Pathways researchers put together a panel called Gender Justice and Making the Law Work for Women, chaired by Hania Sholkamy, which contained the following presentations:

1. The Social relations of social protection: Gendering the welfare regime (Hania Sholkamy)
2. Informal work and social justice: Including the poor in Egypt’s democratic transition (Heba Gowayed, Mahmoud Hazzaa)
3. The Limits of law: Reforming Egyptian family laws and the question of gender justice (Mulki Al-Sharmani)
4. Political power and women’s quotas in Egypt (Sawsan el Sherif)

Session #2: Gender Justice and Making the Law Work for Women (May 3)

Organizer: Hania Sholkamy

1. Feminist social protection: Conditional cash transfers in a Cairo slum (Hania Sholkamy)
2. Women in the work-force! How empowering is work for women?  A Look at the gap between legislation and the lived reality (Heba Gowayed, Mahmoud Hazzaa)
3. The Limits of law: Reforming Egyptian family laws and the question of gender justice (Mulki Al-Sharmani)
4. Political voice and women’s quotas in Egypt: The Journey to parliament of four women in the 2010 elections (Sawsan el Sherif)

Session #8: Gender, Family and Social Justice (May 5)

Organizer: Helen Rizzo

1. Why Egyptian feminists have abandoned women’s rights discourse (Alia Dawood)
2. Sexual harassment: The Oppression of women on the streets of Egypt: An Analysis of Hostile Sexism and bias about sexual harassment (Emily Weddle, Habiba Helmy, Mona Amer, Baland Jalal)
3. A Capability approach to female entrepreneurs and social justice (Anette Cerne, Ahmed H. Tolba)

Please check the facebook event page for more details and updates!

Additionally, there is the story of the Libyan women, Iman al-Obeidi, who tried to speak to reporters in a Tripoli hotel this weekend about how she had been detained and raped by 15 government troops. Hotel staff aggressively ushered her out of the hotel and prevented journalists from helping or talking to her.

These two stories highlight how sexual violence is a tool in the arsenal of weapons that ruling powers use against women to silence them and assert their authority and power.

Also, there will be a seminar at the Mahmoud Mokhtar museum in Dokki to train activists to raise women’s political awareness. Trainer: Dr. Mohamed Hamza (Therapist and Life Coach). Click here for Facebook event page.

Workshop Agenda:

1-Principles of the revolution, their aims and outcomes.
2-Mastering communication skills.
3-Approaches to freedom of expression and positive thinking.
4-Approaches to legitimately demanding rights.
5-Concepts of Multi Political party system.
6-The importance of individual role in society.

I won’t be able to make it but supposedly a webcast will be made available…

Ali and Heba responded to the questions “How can UN Women support young Egyptian women –  areas where the young Women could play a role with the UN WOMEN to support the insurance of women involvement in the democratic transition in Egypt?” by emphasizing the importance of South-South information exchange, unions for women working as informal labors as a channel to securing rights and entitlements and the importance of gender mainstreaming in security sector reform.

Everyone confirmed that Dr. Bachelet is a badass, but I suppose we already knew that before! Not only was she the first female Minister of Defense in Latin America but she later became president of Chile. She left that office in 2010 with extremely high approval ratings (as Chilean law prevents the president from serving two consecutive terms) and then was appointed head of UN Women by Ban Ki-Moon in September 2010. She is a staunch supporter of social protection and providing the poor access to health care and affordable housing, among other things.

Looks like @hindelhinnawy was there, tweeting some of Dr. Bachelet’s motivational one-liners. Check it on Le Twitter if you are interested.

Activists welcome Sharaf’s initiative for the establishment of a representative committee for women and demanded the abolition of the quota

A number of women leaders welcomed the announcement of Dr Essam Sharaf, Prime Minister, for the establishment of a new representative committee for women, under the Cabinet of Ministers, which would support the role of women in all aspects of life. The women leaders demand the necessity of forming a real women’s union, and the abolition of the women’s quota to avoid discrimination against men or women.

Shahinda Maqlid, a member of the Egyptian Women for Change movement, said to Al-Masry Al-Youm, that this initiative was good and was an alternative to the High Council for Women, which was headed by Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the former president of the republic. She was observant of the necessity of establishing a women’s union that encompasses the greater number of political and social powers from all ages for the development of society that are not members of a particular political party as was the case with the previous regime.

Maqlid demanded the necessary introduction of an unconditional representative roster which permits all constituencies representation in the Egyptian Parliament during the coming period and which would benefit women, Copts, fellaheen, and workers alike. She was critical of the quota for women which determined a certain percentage of seats for women in parliamentary elections.

Maqlid assured that women had a distinctive role in the events of the January 25^th revolution in many governorates of Egypt, in addition to continuing political battles for decades to protect the rights of the fellaheen and in supporting the real estate tax collector sit-ins and also different protests in demanding political and social rights.

Margaret Azer, secretary general for the Democratic Front Party, supported Maqlid in the necessity of the representative committee having an effective role in recruiting supporters for women as a real alternative to National Council of Women including all political movements and intellectual cadres and political leanings and different constituencies within society to play an educational role in society.

Azer said to Al-Masry Al-Youm that the establishment of a representative committee for women must be a temporary phase and through which awareness can be raised of society of the role of women and their capabilities toward the progression political, intellectual works and the elimination of the idea of “women’s quota” and anything that can put women in allocated positions, and establishing a “representative roster” with the condition that women on this roster have secure footing, indicating that representative roster will allow all sectors of society the chance for participation and will eliminate under the trend of thugs, businessmen and bribery in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Azer asked for the reformulation of elements of the constitution to highlight the role of women so that she is represented in all dimensions of life, critical of the marginalization of women during the previous phase through their representation in ministries, especially in the creation of the most recent ministries.

Kareema Hefnawy, member of the Egyptian Women for Change movement and the Kefaya movement, rejected the establishment of a representative committee for women because she considers this as if the society is bestowing charity to women by giving them their rights as opposed to men. She insists on the necessity of changing the views of society towards women, which is what would help her in getting rights without resorting to the establishment of a representative committee for women or a national council for women, that holds meeting in famous hotels without taking strong measures to benefit women.

Hefnawy indicated that specific councils for women will lead after a brief time to a type of “cronyism” and will provide superficial services as was the case in the past. She advocates for the abolition of the women’s quota and against discrimination and for giving women the opportunity to compete in free elections.

She demanded the necessity of equal opportunity between women and men, especially in the formation of ministries and not only giving women the ministries of housing and motherhood, childhood and social security.