The brutal murder of a young woman in broad daylight on an Egyptian street has shocked the Arab world, putting the country’s crisis of sexist violence in the spotlight.
Naira Ashraf, 21, was stabbed to death on Monday by a man whose advances she rejected, according to Egyptian prosecutors who said the suspect was arrested at Mansoura University in northern Egypt, where he had place the incident and where Ashraf was studying.
Video from a nearby CCTV camera showing a man attacking a woman outside of college has gone viral in the Arab world this week.
Prosecutors say Naira Ashraf was stabbed to death by a man after she rejected his advances. (Facebook)
A lawyer for Ashraf’s family confirmed to CNN that the video shows the incident in which Ashraf was killed.
Egyptian prosecutors said the suspect had been taken to criminal court and will be tried for premeditated murder.
The first court hearing is scheduled for Sunday. CNN was unable to contact the suspect or his family for comment, and it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
Experts on women’s rights in Egypt say the problem of gender-based violence is widespread in the country and that a number of social and legal shortcomings continue to hamper proper action. “
The murder of Naira was definitely not an isolated incident, “Lobna Darwish, head of gender and human rights at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), told CNN.[But] We are [now] seeing more coverage of violence against women. “
Data is missing as these incidents are not properly documented by the state, Darwish said, but cases of abuse are seen in the news almost monthly. “We are seeing patterns that are alarming,” he added.
The Arab equivalent of the hashtag #Justice_for_Naira_Ashraf has been a widespread trend in Arab countries since the assassination.
“We need a law that fights violence,” said Azza Suliman, an Egyptian lawyer and president of the Egyptian Women and Legal Aid Center.
There also needs to be a discourse on women that is respectful and dignifying to build trust between women and the state apparatus, she added.
The father of the murdered woman, Ashraf Abdelkader, told CNN that the suspect had asked to marry her several times, but was turned down.
The suspect had also allegedly created fake accounts to follow her on social media, he added.
Finally, Abdelkader applied for a restraining order in April.
“He didn’t want to get married, he wanted to pursue his career … and he wanted to be a flight attendant,” Abdelkader said.
Darwish said the victim and his family exhausted all measures to protect Ashraf, “and once again, the whole system, whether social or legal, failed.”
“I exist because my mother had an abortion”
Suliman said that for women to feel comfortable reporting these incidents, it is necessary to “rehabilitate the channels of justice, which include the police, judges and the prosecution.”
“Some responded to the murder by blaming the victim. A controversial former TV presenter, Mabrouk Atteya, said in a video on social media that women” should cover up “to prevent men from killing them.
“Women and girls should cover themselves and dress fluently to stop the temptation … if you feel your life is beautiful, leave the house completely covered to prevent those who want you from being nuanced,” he said. say Atteya on a live broadcast.
Atteya’s comments sparked outrage on social media and spurred a campaign on social media calling for her arrest.
Darwish noted that while Egypt is moving forward with tougher laws on sexual harassment, it still lacks enforcement in both the police and society, which in turn discourages many women from seeking legal assistance.
The Egyptian State Intelligence Service did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. The National Council for Women of Egypt could not be reached.
Harassment is illegal in Egypt, and in June last year, the state tightened laws on sexual harassment, increasing fines and extending prison sentences, according to state media.
The United Nations Development Program in 2019 ranked Egypt in 108th place out of 162 countries measured by gender inequalities in health, empowerment and economic activity.
Last year, nine women were prosecuted for violating family values after posting videos in which they danced and sang and invited millions of followers to make money on social media platforms, Reuters reported.
“When the state supports this kind of discourse in some way by criminalizing women for the way they dress or present themselves, it gives the green light to these people,” Darwish said, referring to the men who put the responsibility for modesty and morality. about women.
“That happens a lot,” Darwish said, referring to violence against women. “Not on camera.”