Pirates are Getting Away…Catch ‘em

Cairo, Egypt- Sitting on his computer surfing the web, he found the latest song of Amr Diab leaked to a “free download music site”. He downloaded it and made a copy of it so he can listen to the song in his car.

“Newly crimes means they are new to the law and that society is not familiar with,” said Soad El-Damalway, Lawyer cassation & State Council. “Internet piracy appeared in the last couple of years due to the advanced technology devices that have been invented.”

Internet piracy like taking trademarks copyrights of books, films, computer program and songs, stealing money or ideas of other people. In Egypt the most popular is downloading illegal songs, books and programs.

The governing body of technology in Egypt is represented in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology MCIT. And they have laws and policies that prevent and protect privacy of internet users.

According to Wael Sheriff, Graduating Senior student in law school in Cairo University, there is a police department called “Computer Crimes Section”.  It is responsible about securing social networks that connects people like face book and hi5.  Some people may misuse these websits to distort others’ reputations in the society by using images, videos or language. However, the department is not responsible about monitoring free downloading sites.

“If someone reported a case to the police that his book or song or visa has been used by another person through the Internet the police get a computer expert from the Ministry of Justice,” said Sheriff Attia, Lawyer for State Council. “Then he investigates the computer and the case and then gives a report to the judge and then he judges based on similar cases that happened before because there is no law for these kinds of incidents.”

According to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology MCIT 41% of the Egyptians have local access to the Internet. And each year the figures are increasing due to the facilities the government is providing to the people.

Sheriff said that most the music sites in Egypt are illegal because they offer songs for free without the productions companies’ permission. He also blamed music and production companies for not suing owners of these sites although they are losing millions of money.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said that, “The Egyptian government imposed a new measurement which increases the extent of the censorship on Internet users, and violates their privacy rights.”

Attia said that companies should ask for compensations from these sites because they are not selling their songs and making them for free for the public.

Sheriff thinks that there should be more surveillance and security on Internet sites that allow people to download free songs, books and use TM without the owners’ permission because this will lead to corruption in the society, as each one will be taking others work without his permission.

“The police will issue a law when many piracy cases get reported.. Because a law can’t be made without a crime, there must be a crime first,” Said Attia. “For example, three years ago there was no law for rape. They issued it when many rape cases were reported.”

“We lawyers are now talking with members of civic associations, NGOs, and local councils to request from the parliament and government to issue a law for these crimes,” Said El-Damalway.

Harassment in Cairo Increasing!!

Cairo, Egypt- On a calm and almost empty street in Maadi four young Egyptian men were on hunt for foreign women that they could harass. As two women passed, one of the men reached his hand out and spanked the girl in her rear. They screamed. It was a scene witnessed almost everyday in Cairo as Egyptian men search for foreign women to touch and grope who they except are more open to sexual overtures.

Harassing Foreigners According to the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights (ECWR), 98% of foreign women experience sexual harassment during their stay in Cairo. Sexual harassment gives a bad impression for people especially foreigners who are visiting Egypt and they leave with bad and negative idea about Egypt. Because of the high percentage of sexual harassments and assaults happening in Cairo many foreign embassies have warned their people to take care and be careful.

“They’re pretty,” said Dina Yehia, Graduating Senior at AUC. “And they symbolize the free modern women that, perhaps to their mind, would be fine with groping and touching.”

Many foreign women refused to talk and share their experience as they are sexually harassed. They think it’s private and embarrassing to talk about. However, only one American girl, 20, agreed to talk but she wanted to stay anonymous. “Whenever I walk outside I’m harassed constantly,” Said the American girl. “Most of the time the harassment was verbal with men making appropriate comments.”

A male teenager, 19, who didn’t want his name to be published because he would feel embarrassed within his friends, said that he and his friends often have no plans to target a woman as they drive through the streets of Maadi — a neighborhood filled with wealthy and foreign females.

“It’s a natural action or response from teens who feel depressed and bored with their lives”, said Ennas Abu El Fottouh, General practitioner, Biology Professor in Misr American College (MAC).

The American girl said that whenever she goes on the metro she is touched inappropriately and that she gets very annoyed.

“Men these days want to marry a foreigner and leave Egypt for good,” Said Omar Menshawy, 24.

“Girls are some how trying to be like the western girls as want to attract guys to get married since its hard nowadays to get married.”

“Men now don’t have enough money to get married specially that most of them are unemployed or cannot afford to buy an apartment,” said Mohamed Hamama, AUC student, 22.

Amr Fouad, bank clerk, said that Most young men are sexually frustrated from what they are watching on music channels and video clips.

Nowadays, music channels are becoming widely spread within the Egyptian community and most of the female singers are usually half-naked in their video clips.

Yehia said that music is becoming “porn-like media” and this is affecting men and increasing pressure on them as they can’t get married due to the economic status and they find harassing is their only solution.

“I’ve never been harassed,” Said Wassima El Shafie, 27. “I think media has more influence and young men can’t afford to marry due to the high demands of marriage, so they harass girls.”

Hamama said that veil has nothing to do with harassing when he rides the metro he always sees veiled girls getting harassed.

“By sight, it always happens due to the way the girls dress,” said Fouad. “Sometimes we {his friends} go in crowded areas like cinemas or concerts and find girls very close to us and we start touching and flirting with them”.