'To All Women: It’s Time to Unleash Our Power'

For business administration student Malak El Menyawi, the ABZ case as well as Nadeen Ashraf's @AssaultPolice were the main trigger for AUC's Student Union to start a task force in collaboration with Heya student organization. The initiative aims to encourage sexual harassment victims to speak up for their rights while informing them of the University’s Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy, steps on how to report and other helpful resources. 

News@AUC caught up with El Menyawi, political representation chairperson at AUC's Student Union, to learn more about this initiative and how it started.

Awareness is Key

"Something that became apparent to us is that several people didn’t really understand the true definition of sexual harassment, so we decided to start [an initiative] to raise awareness and explain what sexual harassment is, including all its forms and types. Moreover, we have conducted a talk with Nadeen Ashraf, founder of the Instagram account @AssaultPolice, on our political platform Speaker’s Corner to further raise awareness and encourage individual and societal change on the matter. We have also focused on explaining some relevant terminologies, such as victim blaming, apologist and bystander."

Sexual Harassment Is Not Only Physical

"Sexual harassment/violence has been an issue that females face every day. As women, we need to watch out for every single thing we do: how we dress, how we talk, what we say and literally everything. Even after doing all these things, we still get blamed. Unfortunately, what we have reached is due to a mentality in our society that needs to be changed. Our patriarchal society should be changed through educating everyone that harassment is not just physical: It is catcalling; it is judging; it is exploiting ourselves and bodies without clear consent."

Enough is Enough

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. 
To all women: It’s time to unleash our power and show society how to treat us.
To all harassers: You reap what you sow, so watch your backs because we are no longer silent."