There were 86 reports of sexual assault at the Egyptian protests in Tahrir Square from Sunday to Tuesday, according to Human Rights Watch. The group obtained the data from Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, an Egyptian organization that runs a hotline for sexual assault victims.
“The rampant sexual attacks during the Tahrir Square protests highlight the failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis in public spaces,” Joe Stark, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in an article on the organization’s website. “These are serious crimes that are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country’s development.”
On Monday, President Barack Obama warned Egyptians participating in the protests that “assaulting women does not qualify as peaceful protests.”
