An Open Letter to Egyptian Men: You’re Next

To every male in Egypt,

I hope you know that you’re next. Karma is doing its thing and the tables are turning; women are no longer afraid to speak up or hold you accountable. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve changed. It doesn’t matter how young, or ‘just being a guy’ you were. It’s time to pay up.

There isn’t a single woman I know that hasn’t been sexually harassed one way or another. We’ve been told our entire lives to suck it up, that it was part of the culture, that our reputation would be ruined for speaking up. We’ve had to put up with unspeakable traumas and a generation of women who have been oppressed, dehumanized, and victim-blamed turned us into strong, independent women who have nothing to lose. It’s our time to take a stance, stand up for our basic human rights, and put a stop to the rape culture and patriarchal system in Egypt.

To every male in Egypt, I hope you’re scared and tortured by the silence, waiting for your turn to be outed. Waiting for every woman you’ve ever touched inappropriately, dehumanized, and put through a traumatic experience to point her finger at you. And waiting for the rest of the women you’ve abused – thinking you could get away with it – to call you out and hold you accountable for your shameful acts.

Via: BFM – Sexual Harassment

To all the men who have the audacity to ask: why now? Well, simply put, we’ve had enough! We’ve faced all kinds of harassment, been made to feel that it is a normal thing that everyone goes through, and even blamed for it. I’ve heard males object to female testimonials and say ‘ If this is harassment, then I’ve probably harassed every single woman I know!”

Well,  guess what? You probably have! It’s time to open your eyes to the reality women go through every day. It’s time to put a stop to all this. This generation of women will not stop until every sexual harasser is behind bars.

Further reading:

• 5 Safety Rules to Protect Your Children from Sexual Harassment
• Fathership: Are You Raising Your Son to Be a Sexual Harasser?
• Dear Sexual Harassment Victims, This Is How You Can File A Complaint Anonymously