Women’s rights groups in post-revolutionary Egypt reject the tendency to blame victims for the soaring number of sexual assault cases. Psychologist Farah Shash observed that “society is becoming increasingly conservative and patriarchal” and the victim “is the one to be blamed because she is dressed ‘inappropriately’ or she walks ‘inappropriately’ or she laughs loudly, or just because she is on the street when she got harassed.”
The government has tried to distance itself from Islamist statements that men should not be blamed for the attacks and President Morsi is launching an initiative to protect women from violence. However, women rights activists say that the Muslim Brotherhood’s recent rejection of a United Nations declaration condemning violence against women indicates that the government’s rhetoric is unlikely to become reality.