Battling against a culture of silence
Two prominent cases concerning gender-based violence – that of Ahmed Zaki, who has been accused by more than 100 women of extortion, sexual harassment, coercion and rape, and that of the gang rape at the Fairmont Hotel in 2014 – have given rise to a new movement fighting sexual violence in Egypt. Paula Al-Bahari has the details
"He grabbed my hair and threw me on the floor. He unbuttoned my pants [...] I tried to scream, but nothing came out. When he took what he wanted, I saw blood on my clothes. I panicked and all he had to say was 'Go to your uncle now, slut! You're not different than the other girls.' I left and I called my mom, I told her everything. She didn't do anything."