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New project enlists Egyptian men to help fight violence against women

A Cairo organization is working to recruit male allies in the battle to prevent sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women.
Men look at female protesters carrying signs against sexual harassment, after a woman was sexually assaulted by a mob during Sunday's celebrations marking the new president's inauguration, in Tahrir square in Cairo June 11, 2014.  Egyptian authorities have arrested seven men for sexually harassing women near Cairo's Tahrir Square while thousands celebrated the inauguration of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. A video posted on YouTube on Sunday, claiming to depict one of
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The Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development Center in Cairo launched a project May 15 to enlist men to fight violence against women. According to a study conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the end of 2013, Egypt is the worst country for women’s rights in the Arab world.

Yara Fathi, the center's gender programs director, told Al-Monitor the new campaign will emphasize that men can help stop violence against women, despite the prevailing idea that only women support such a cause. Getting men involved will raise the issue’s visibility and provide male mentors to speak with other men about the importance of the topic.

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