VOA标准英语2013--Egyptian Women Reject Blame for Upsurge in Sexual Harrassment

 

Egyptian Women Reject Blame for Upsurge in Sexual Harrassment

Post-revolution, the number of women reporting sexual harassment¹ and violence has skyrocketed. So, too, it appears, has the tendency to blame women for the assaults against them.

Psychologist Farah Shash, of the Nadim Center for Victims of Violence, says Egyptian society is becoming increasingly conservative and patriarchal.

“The society always blames the victim. She 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,” Shash explained.

Prominent Egyptian religious and political leaders, like Salafist sheikh Gamal Saber, a founder² of the al-Ansar Party, have expressed just those sentiments.

“What else does she expect when she walks down the street with tight, revealing clothes in a provocative³ way? What else can these men do?" he asked. While Saber argues he does not want to say harassment is a natural response, he adds, the men "are not entirely⁴ to be blamed.”

The government has tried to distance itself from such statements, with President Mohamed Morsi launching an initiative to advance and protect women's rights.

But rights groups say the effort is more rhetoric⁵ than reality. And following the Muslim Brotherhood⁶'s recent rejection⁷ of a proposed U.N. declaration condemning⁸ violence against women, even the rhetoric is not strong enough.

Morsi, who came from the Brotherhood, is part of an Islamist ascendency in Egypt that draws on fundamentalist strains of Islam that rights' advocates say are not in keeping with Egyptian traditions.

“We have lots of open-minded sheikhs who teach us about Islam and women, and we do not find any controversy⁹ between women's rights and lots of interpretations¹⁰ of Islam,” said Nehad Abo el Komsan, director of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights.

She says political leaders focus on restricting women's rights to divert attention from such pressing problems as the economy, and many women are beginning to see through it.

“They start to understand that we want you [the government] to solve our problems, not to talk about a woman's veil, or a woman's niqab, or a woman's body. And we want for you to have job opportunities for all," she added.

Egypt's economy has suffered greatly since the revolution, and rights advocates argue harassing¹¹ and marginalizing half the population is not only unfair, it is something the country can ill afford.

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

6 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

8 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

10 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句