Tuesday could be a monumental day for women’s rights in the Middle East, or if history repeats itself, Tuesday could be a shameful day for women’s rights.
Samira Ibrahim, an Egyptian woman who was electrocuted and forced to take a “virginity test” after attending a protest in Cairo in March, is awaiting a verdict Tuesday on a case she filed against the Egyptian military.
A verdict for Ibrahim could be a remarkable victory not only for Ibrahim, but also for all Egyptian women subjected to sexual assault. A recent statistic cited in The Global Post said 98 percent of rape and sexual assault cases in Egypt go unreported.
One such form of sexual assault is virginity tests, a tactic the Egyptian military uses to supposedly protect themselves from allegations of rape.
In reality, the tests are a blatant violation of human rights aimed to degrade women.
The Egyptian military allegedly subjected 16 other women to virginity testing and torture following the same protest Ibrahim attended in March.
Ibrahim and the other women were stripped and assaulted while soldiers recorded the scene with their phones.
Ahmed Hossam, a human rights lawyer with the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, told The New York Times that these women were harassed because they were from poor families and seen as easy to intimidate.
After conducting an investigation, Amnesty International came out and rebuked the discriminatory practice of virginity testing.
“Forcing women to have ‘virginity tests’ is utterly unacceptable,” the organization said in a statement. “Women and girls must be able to express their views on the future of Egypt and protest against the government without being detained, tortured or subjected to profoundly degrading and discriminatory treatment.”
Despite recent uprisings in Egypt that have left several dead, post-Mubarak Egypt looked like it had potential. The government looked like it was making strides to better itself.
Apparently, it was all looks. Allegations of virginity testing completely tarnish the image of potential we all saw in Egypt.
Even more disheartening is that for many women, attending protests in Cairo were their first steps toward gender equality.
Nevertheless, there is still hope for Egypt. A ruling in favor of Ibrahim would be an extraordinary step toward justice and righteousness.
However, other measures need to be taken as well. The government needs to hold the filthy soldiers responsible for sexual assault accountable to their actions.
And — in what could prove the most challenging feat — the Egyptian government needs to make strides to combat the prejudiced, sexist sentiment that condones sexual assault of women.
Without doubt, virginity testing is a repugnant practice that needs to be addressed. Once the practice is prohibited, though, the sentiment condoning it will still linger. If it’s not virginity testing, it will be something else.
In other words, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. That is why not only actions need to be addressed — sentiments do too.
When the women of Egypt are treated and seen fairly, equally and honorably, then we’ll know Egypt has made progress.
Reach the columnist at eeeaton@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
