What happens when a female student in a hot pink top walks through Cairo University?

Jack Gevertz
Tuesday 25 March 2014 13:00
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What happens when a girl walks through Cairo University campus

A shocking video shows a female student being sexually harassed as she walks through her campus at Cairo University in Egypt.

Wearing a pink top and tight jeans, the young woman is whistled and shouted at as she makes her way through the site amongst a growing group of men following her.

University guards are seen in the clip, which has gone viral on social media, escorting her off the premises after she hid in a toilet to escape the group, who were allegedly trying to remove her clothes.

The Dean of the Cairo University Law School, Gaber Nasser, has since sparked anger after he appeared to blame the girl by saying her outfit was "a bit unconventional". He told Egyptian channel ONTV: "This girl entered the university wearing an abaya [a loose cloak] and then took it off in the faculty, and appeared with those clothes, that caused, in reality - but this doesn't justify at all [the incident]."

Mariam Kirollos, a women's rights activist, said on Twitter that the dean should be "interrogated and expelled" and that "investigations into the incident should start immediately".

But Mr Nasser claims he was misquoted and said that he apologised for the misunderstanding.

"I assure that this is not true and I apologize for the misunderstanding and I repeat that those who [harassed the girl] will be severely punished," he wrote on Twitter.

The issue was also covered by a number of popular talk shows. On the privately owned Orbit Channel, television host Amr Adib asked: "A girl is naked, does it mean someone should jump on her?"

Most female students at Cairo University wear tops and jeans and avoid revealing clothes, like many women in Egypt.

A report carried out by the UN last year found that 99.3 per cent of women and girls in Egypt had been sexually harassed.

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