June 14th – CAIRO. Egyptian Blogger Basma, known as BeeBishay on Instagram, took it to her platform to denounce harassment in Cairo International Airport. In a heartwrenching video, Basma calls an airport employee who she caught taking pictures of her body without her consent.
“This is the hardest video I ever had to make in my life,“ Basma says before breaking down in tears. She calls out Cairo Airport Employee Tamer Abdel Wahed, for taking her picture without her consent. The harasser continuously denied her accusations and refused to give out his phone. Basma did not stand still and called for airport security until he eventually gave in.
“That’s not even the worst part!” Basma cries in her video. Once security stepped in and unlocked the phone, they discovered pictures of Basma and many other women on Tamer’s phone. However, the employees kept passing the phone to 10 different people in the room and swipe through the pictures. Other than the complete disregard for Basma’s situation, one employee went as far as pushing her out of the room.
The Trauma Effect
In a later video, Basma clarifies that the people in question were not officers like she assumed. She says that she had no idea what were they doing in the security area. This confusion was due to the unexpected trauma Basma experienced at the moment. She had suddenly found herself in a situation where her safety and security were compromised.
When faced with such traumatic situations, it was only natural for Basma to head to the nearest “safe” looking people. Who at the time were the men in the room who belittled and disregarded her call for help.
What’s Next?
Regardless of the situation, Basma did not give up. She stayed at the airport until 2 in the morning trying to resolve the issue. She informs her followers that the real officers carried out an investigation, and later on, wrote a detailed police report. Moreover, she thanks her followers and everyone who shared her previous video, and the real officers for standing by her side.
The next morning, Basma spends 8 hours in the prosecution office, going through the previously written report, and comes out rather satisfied with good news to her followers. Reassuring them that justice will take place and that the people responsible will pay for their actions.
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