Harass Maps: Abir Ghattas. The attention in comparison to other initiatives. The obsession with the idea that Egyptian/Arab/Middle Eastern women are victimized and the monsterization of Egyptian Arab men, especially by people in the west.
It is a good to hear about initiatives to help women against sexual harassment in Egypt and Lebanon. It is good to know there are laws to regulate the violations and punishments. It is also very important to reevaluate the way we view men in our communities and how much their lives are being impacted by the state, state violence, and state practices. There is a lot of scholarship on the relationships between the state, sexual harassment, NGOs, and security. There is an apparent relationship between how much the state invests in sexual harassment and the security they suggest increasing in order to protect women, whom they end up assaulting and hurting through their policing practices. I like the fact that the organizers of harass maps were able to reach out to communities and organize some sort of community network to protect women. I also like the idea of working with other networks and having committees to prevent sexual harassments in protests and protect women. There is also the fact that they offered psychological treatments for those who came forward (I’m not sure whether that means the harasser or the harassed, but either way, it is a good move.)
Another factor I notice in the conversation is the class difference and class struggle in Egypt that isn’t being addressed at all and how these organizations would deal with something like that. In addition, the idea that the state is a huge contributor to the horrible living conditions, the violence, policing, and oppression people experience daily, and hope all of these factors into the phenomena of sexual harassment is ignored. I like the work that has been done on the ground, but I would like to see the data for online projects and how effective these projects are. It is interesting how Abir addressed the fraudulent claims, and how the data is using to have a better understanding of sexual harassment. It Is also really interesting to see Abir saying “we did not have a revolution” and see what has been happening in Lebanon recently, and the buildup of problems as in the you stink movement, etc. I am realizing how important it is to learn how to use digital activism.
Case study: HARASSMAP – CHANGING ATTITUDES TO HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT IN EGYPT
the idea of the harassmap campaign is smart and innovative. The data are scary, and I know this is a scary problem in Egypt. Private harassment is still a taboo in many parts around the world and it is harder to address or talk about. I wonder what happened to this service after the revolution, how did the data change, did it change, and did they run into challenges with the governments. This also shows that working with the community is possible without state security, which often complicates matters.
http://www.aswatmasriya.com/en/news/details/17714this article answers some of my questions, and so, I thought I should include it. Still, this is a reforming change, to work within the system, without trying to bother the people on top.
FemTechNet
this tool just made me nostalgic to the good times I’ve spent in NYC. and also, a bit concerned. I am concerned that my comment on the map might be understood later on. and while I do not was to explain myself to anyone or justify what I wrote, I am still going to do it for the class. I am concerned that someone would read the post and think “ah, Egypt, packages, expected.” Not because I am an Egyptian, that means I understood these terms because I came to the US. I know it fits the stereotype, and this is why I am pointing it out. I won’t change my narrative because of my concern but maybe I should just highlight that people from different places in the world come with different packages and being from Egypt, the Bronx, or Santa Barbara won’t change that.
this is my wireframes assignment https://youtu.be/tHLrisFZmWM