Egyptian Film: 678

From Ahram Online:

No film in Egypt's recent history has attempted the task of addressing the problem of sexual harassment with as much dedication as 678. Despite the daunting nature of such an ambition, Mohamed Diab's film, for the most part, succeeds in tackling the plethora of challenges that comes with such a monumental task.

According to a survey conducted by the Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR) in 2008, 98 per cent of foreign-born women and 83 per cent of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment. 62 per cent of Egyptian men admitted harassing women and 53 per cent of those blame women for instigating this kind of behaviour.

UK: Women & Prisons

Two reports on the state of women's prisons in the UK.

From UK Press Association:

The UK's largest and most high profile women's prison is "extremely difficult to run safely and effectively", with almost six out of 10 inmates feeling unsafe at some point, inspectors said.

Threats and intimidation from other prisoners at Holloway in north London were rife, with one inmate describing it as "a very scary place for a first-time prisoner".

Many of the problems were long-running and stemmed from badly designed residential units that made it hard for staff to see inmates, but there were also reports of inappropriate behaviour by male prison officers, the inspectors found.

Nigel Newcomen, deputy chief inspector of prisons, said managers and staff were hampered by the "unsafe and unsatisfactory design of the prison" and "the lack of strategic direction and effective operational management within the women's prison system in general".

Which brings us onto our nest report from the London Evening Standard:

An investigation is under way into alleged sexual harassment of prisoners by officers at Holloway, Britain's largest women's jail.

Government inspectors revealed today that the inquiry centres on claims of “inappropriate behaviour” by male guards.

Some prisoners have complained about the “disconcerting” way in which guards watch them at night through the hatches in their cell doors. Others said “favouritism” by officers is making it difficult to maintain “appropriate boundaries” in their relationships.

Other findings by the prison inspectors include high levels of intimidation, with 60 per cent of women saying that they had felt unsafe, and “disturbing examples” of “poor or dismissive” treatment of inmates by a minority of staff.

There is also strong criticism of the “lack of strategic direction and effective operational management within the women's prison system in general” which the inspectors say must be addressed.

India: Delhi Women Fear For Safety

From SIFY News:

Nearly 80 percent of Delhi women fear for their safety in the city, a new survey says.

The Delhi government's women and child development department, NGO Jagori and international organisation Unifem conducted the survey.

The survey, released on Thursday, is based on interviews of 5,010 people, including 3,816 women and 944 men. The rest are common witnesses like bus conductors, shopkeepers and auto drivers, who have a probability of witnessing acts of sexual harassment against women.

'Nearly three out of every five women reported facing sexual harassment not only after dark but also through the daytime. But, it is a good sign that 68 percent of the women deal with harassment in some way like confronting the perpetrator or seeking help from family and friends,' said Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia, who also looks after women and child development department.

Walia said public transport, buses and roads with faulty street lights are the spaces where women and girls face a high level of sexual harassment.

Women: We Won't Put Up & Shut Up

From Sydney Morning Herald:

It is unlikely a little more than 200 complaints go anywhere near demonstrating the true extent of sexual harassment in the workplace. Many women will not know they can lodge a complaint and others will shrug their shoulders and deal with the behaviour as best they can. Women who eke out existences in poorly paid casual positions are never going to complain. And some women won't even know that a reference to the size of their tits is sexual harassment.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has been quoted as saying there is continuing confusion about what constitutes sexual harassment. Some of this confusion may well rest in the language we use: McInnes's behaviour has been described in various accounts as ''flirtatious'', ''unbecoming'' and ''inappropriate''.

UK: Bullying Beefeaters

From Yahoo News:

Women faced their share of trouble at the Tower of London, including three queens who were beheaded there.

But treachery has long been considered a thing of the past at the notorious 11th century fortress. At least until now.

If charges made Monday are true, the Tower — a popular tourist attraction and home to Britain's Crown Jewels — will add bullying to the list of foul deeds committed there. The victim: the first woman selected to join the all-male ranks of the Tower's yeoman warders, popularly known as "Beefeaters."

Moira Cameron — a veteran of long military service — was named a warder at the Tower two years ago. Hers was supposed to be a happy story about how a bastion of male supremacy could become a place where women, too, could serve queen and country.

On Monday, embarrassed Tower officials conceded that Cameron had apparently been subjected to a campaign of bullying and harassment conducted by some of her resentful male colleagues. They said two male warders have been suspended and a third is under investigation for suspected harassment of Cameron.

A statement released by the Tower of London said harassment among its staff was "totally unacceptable" and that an internal investigation started last week as soon as the allegations were received.

Egypt: Phone Stalking

From BBC News:

It is well known that sexual harassment is a pervasive problem in Egypt, from touching to lewd and abusive cat calls.

But it seems there is another phenomenon that goes largely unreported, phone stalking. With the advance of modern technology a large number of women complain they receive the unwelcome and relentless attention of men they have never met.

Most of the harassment - calls and texts - are from young men who ring numbers at random, and often the conversations are fairly commonplace. But occasionally they can lead to something more sinister.

In fact in a survey last year of 2,000 women by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, 83% said they had encountered some form of sexual harassment - 23% said they were receiving obscene phone calls. But even so, statistics on how widespread this is are hard to come by.

Nonetheless there are those who believe phone stalking is symptomatic of a bigger issue.

And yet all too often the harassment goes unreported. Either women don't believe it will be taken seriously or they don't want the added frustration of the red tape.