Sexual harassment in Egypt?

[Wanderista]

I'm looking into this subject and wonder if anyone else knows anything about sexual harassment in Egypt or the Middle East generally?

My SO and I are planning to go to Egypt in the summer. This will be the first time that either of us visits Egypt or anywhere in the Middle East. We're going to be staying at a beach resort but we were planning to also join guided tours of the ancient sites (Cairo-Giza, Luxor, etc). However, we did not know about the sexual harassment problem in the country, especially Cairo. We have since read articles on reputable sites like CNN and other news media describing the widespread harassment of women (all ages, tourists, locals, veiled women, unveiled women) in the society.

My SO is now very concerned (about the prospect of my being harassed) to the point that he does not want to go to Cairo and is almost afraid of leaving the hotel. We've considered switching to another country like Malta but we both do really want to go to Egypt. The compromise has been that my SO is agreeing to go to Egypt and maybe on a tour of the Bedouin tribes in the desert and/or snorkeling, but he does not want to go to Cairo or the famous ancient sites because he worries that I might be harassed.


Does anyone know anything about this subject or have any experience of this? Are the concerns justified or a case of Western media overreacting? Neither of us really knows the culture there so all we've had to go on are the news articles. I'll be happy to go to Egypt but sad not to see the Pyramids which is why we originally planned to visit the country. Thanks in advance!

[dulcemariamar]

I traveled around Northern Africa but I have never been in Egypt so maybe I am not the best person to answer this question. I was with a group of friends, a mix of girls and boys and I was fine.
I dint think you will have any problem with sexual harassment if you are traveling with your SO. I really doubt somebody is going to say or do something with your SO standing next to you.

However, in my experience people will be coming up to you a lot to sell you things. I dint know if you would consider that harassment but it could get annoying after a few days.


At the end of the day, you should go where you feel comfortable. You dint have to be a super adventurous traveler. I know my limits. If your SO is going to spend the whole trip worried, then maybe you should think about going someplace else. (No snark)

[jupiter2311]

I haven't been to Egypt since I was a little tot, but my friend was there last year with her DH and DS and she never mentioned anything like that. Now, I do live in the Middle East and have been in the region over 15 years and haven't really experienced much "harassment". I can imagine if you were there with only your girlfriends, wearing inappropriate clothing, in the wrong area of town, how this might be an issue. But I think since you will be with your DH, they probably won't (and shouldn't) mess with you. If you have light skin and light hair, you might get stared at a bit longer than you think appropriate, but I think overall you will be fine. (Not being snarky either)

[karmaroma]

MH and I went to Egypt and Sharm El Sheikh like 10 years ago and I've definitely been harassed. The staring, commenting and the likes happened even inside our 5 star resorts. One afternoon we rode the resort's shuttle to the local suk in Naama Bay in Sharm and there as I was trying on hijabs I was disturbingly approached from behind by the salesman, he had an erection and intended to let me know about it. The SOB didn't even care that I was accompanied. I never told my husband and definitely didn't make a scene there for fear of worse repercussions. Maybe I should have, who knows.

Another episode I know about involves a girl I know indirectly who was raped while she was there to work.

I don't think this should stop you from travelling to Egypt or visiting Cairo though, I mean, exercise caution but I'm sure the majority of tourists have a smooth and pleasant experience there.

[Wanderista]

Thanks! I really appreciate all of the feedback including about the region generally. I just don't like the idea of judging a place off of news articles when I don't know anything about it. I'm not talking about something like riots breaking out, obviously in that case I'll just listen to the news.

The SO really does want to go there, it was his idea originally. I just spoke with him and he seems to have relaxed a bit about it all. He said that we can see how we feel when we get there and I can agree with that. I definitely want him to have a good time.

I'd love to see the pyramids (and various temples) but I'd never insist on him going if he's going to worry the whole time.

[Wanderista]

May 17, 2012 15:50:32 GMT -5 @karmaroma said:

MH and I went to Egypt and Sharm El Sheikh like 10 years ago and I've definitely been harassed. The staring, commenting and the likes happened even inside our 5 star resorts. One afternoon we rode the resort's shuttle to the local suk in Naama Bay in Sharm and there as I was trying on hijabs I was disturbingly approached from behind by the salesman, he had an erection and intended to let me know about it. The SOB didn't even care that I was accompanied. I never told my husband and definitely didn't make a scene there for fear of worse repercussions. Maybe I should have, who knows.

Another episode I know about involves a girl I know indirectly who was raped while she was there to work.

I don't think this should stop you from travelling to Egypt or visiting Cairo though, I mean, exercise caution but I'm sure the majority of tourists have a smooth and pleasant experience there.

That's really horrible, I'm very sorry that happened to you. We aren't going to Sharm, we're going to another Red Sea resort area but yeah, that's very worrying and definitely like the kind of thing we've read about after booking the resort.

[ellie]

I was just in Cairo three weeks ago. I am very fair, blonde hair, blue eyes. I was there with MH (also very fair) and a Spanish woman. I was also very covered (loose pants, sleeves) but was definitely stared at, even when with MH and a guide. It was uncomfortable, but I was never actually harassed. The worst experience was in one of the local markets, but it was evening and it seemed more likely that we'd get robbed rather than harassed.

That being said, the level of staring definitely had to do with where we were. The major tourist sites, especially on a guided tour, were fine. The vendors were pretty aggressive but that's been my experience other places too. I never felt in any danger.

I would recommend going. The history there is amazing. We plan to go back.

[aMrsin09]

The most harassment I got in Cairo and Port Said was because of my American passport. When I was with H, men were polite. They never spoke directly to me or looked directly at me etc.

Although H was offered 2 million camels in exchange for me (we think he was joking).

[fernane]

I went to Cairo with my family when I was 14 or 15. A lot of places we walked, men would catcall/stare but the only time anyone actually approached, we were in a museum and I had wandered down the hall from my mom. One of the guards asked me to marry him and kind of backed me into a corner as he was talking. At first I thought he was joking but he was persistent and not backing off to the point I yelled for my mom. At first I thought people in that area really go for the fair skin/lighter hair women, but I'm not sure if that's it or they do that to everyone. If you're with your H, you shouldn't have any issues with actually being approached, but do expect the catcalls, etc. It is an interesting place that I'm glad we went to.
And no, they weren't joking about the camels! That's how they do marriage over there. I had a friend who's father was offered a few hundred sheep for her.

[clickerish]

Never been to Egypt, but in Morocco, I had a fairly uncomfortable time of it. Then again, I am tall, blonde and blue eyed so it didn't matter how covered I was, it was obviously I was foreign. I did NOT go alone, though, so felt fairly safe. Not that I think all the guys are sleazy or anything, but the ones who are seem to be allowed to roam the streets more freely.

[clickerish]

But I should add re the Middle East part that I lived in Saudia Arabia when I was a child, and my parents ended up turning down a fairly lucrative offer after only 6 months because they couldn't deal with the way my mother was treated.

[Wanderista]

Thanks again about this everybody. My SO and I have worked out what we are going to do. He does want to go to Egypt for sure. He has also agreed that we can go to the famous sites if we join up with a large tour group which should not be hard given that we will be at a large resort area. I am totally cool with that. No matter what happens, I will have a great time even if we just stay in the hotel or tour the surrounding area. Despite the very serious drawbacks, it seems like a very fascinating place.

[centralperk]

DH and I went to Cairo and Sharm el Sheikh in 2010. It was really an amazing trip. I did get a lot of stares, catcalls, and unwelcome attention, but no one touched me. It was annoying and made me uncomfortable at times, but it was certainly worth it because the trip was so awesome. I recommend covering your arms and legs as much as possible. I didn't cover my head unless we were in a mosque or in a few other situations. I always had a scarf with me, and if I got uncomfortable, I covered my head, and it usually helped at least a little.

I wouldn't have wanted to walk around alone in Cairo at night without DH, but otherwise it was fine. Also, we used a guide when we went to the pyramids and some other sites, so that might have helped.

[tktravels]

You might be harassed, but really, is that any reason to limit your trip?

Sexual harassment is awful, but so is giving up your freedom or enjoyment just to avoid it. I spent last year living in rural Morocco, and really struggled with finding a balance between avoiding harassment and avoiding just holing up in my apartment so as not to deal with the bad behaviour of men. I too am tall and blonde, and stick out quite a bit in certain regions. I got harassed on a daily basis, having lewd things whispered to me (even when I was out with my husband), and have been groped in crowds, etc.

As others have mentioned, be smart. Don't go places by yourself and dress conservatively. Watch the local ladies (but not the prostitutes!) and do as they do. Don't make eye contact with men, don't seem friendly or approachable, and don't be afraid to speak up if someone is harassing you. Avoid crowds too because they give men an opportunity to bump up against you or play a quick game of grab ass.

I have a few friends who live in Egypt, and they agree that wearing your "bitch face" will help somewhat, but even the bitchiest-looking, most conservatively dressed women still get harassed.

There are so many beautiful places in the MENA region. It's really a shame that so many men there can't behave themselves..

[Wanderista]

May 30, 2012 12:30:46 GMT -5 tktravels said:

You might be harassed, but really, is that any reason to limit your trip?

Sexual harassment is awful, but so is giving up your freedom or enjoyment just to avoid it. I spent last year living in rural Morocco, and really struggled with finding a balance between avoiding harassment and avoiding just holing up in my apartment so as not to deal with the bad behaviour of men. I too am tall and blonde, and stick out quite a bit in certain regions. I got harassed on a daily basis, having lewd things whispered to me (even when I was out with my husband), and have been groped in crowds, etc.

As others have mentioned, be smart. Don't go places by yourself and dress conservatively. Watch the local ladies (but not the prostitutes!) and do as they do. Don't make eye contact with men, don't seem friendly or approachable, and don't be afraid to speak up if someone is harassing you. Avoid crowds too because they give men an opportunity to bump up against you or play a quick game of grab ass.

I have a few friends who live in Egypt, and they agree that wearing your "bitch face" will help somewhat, but even the bitchiest-looking, most conservatively dressed women still get harassed.

There are so many beautiful places in the MENA region. It's really a shame that so many men there can't behave themselves..

Hi Tktravels, I'm definitely not one who would normally let something like that bother me. I'm not extremely worried for myself, I figure that unless it's totally out of line, I'll just find it annoying. And yeah, I certainly plan to cover up when outside the resort. The problem is that my SO will be very upset if anything really bad happens. I'm all for independent and off-beat traveling but it's our first time in the region and I definitely want him to have a good time. I've decided that I'll be happy with whatever we do.

Also, yeah, I agree that the whole region is gorgeous and fascinating.