Cairo 678

In the bustling streets of Cairo, overflowed with people hurrying to their work, life advances in hectic rhythms. Traffic congestion, noise and buses crammed with men and women–this is usual for a big city on its way to progress. But, underneath this cloak of normality, a particular type of crime thrives in the small-scale world of public transportation–so subtle and elusive to the untrained eye–that seems, practically, nonexistent. Women of all ages, regardless of their attire, are sexually objectified and abused on a daily basis, silently tolerating the perverted needs of male passengers. Under those circumstances, how can a woman defend herself from their assaults; shield herself against the anguish and the shame of the repeated harassment, when a nation’s male population remains untouched by this obscenity?—Nick Riganas