Activists from 17 countries across the Middle East met in Cairo for a two-day conference on the harassment of women.

The harassment from men, being constantly groped and also verbally abused, in a daily experience for women in the region, leaving them wary of going into public spaces.

As reported earlier at Anne of Carversville, women say modesty is not the issue. Wearing a face veil or niqab offers women no safety from harassment. Women across the region are calling the situation a national security issue and express concern for the safety of ttheir daughters.

In Egypt 83 percent reported being verbally or physically abused. In Lebanon, more than 30 percent said they had been harassed.

The situation is not new across the region. Apparently women have been pinched and groped for years. Participants in the conference say that men are increasingly threatened by women’s place in growing economies and the public culture of their countries.

In Yemen, where nearly all women are covered from head to toe, activist Amal Basha said 90 percent of women in a published study reported harassment, specifically pinching.

“The religious leaders are always blaming the women, making them live in a constant state of fear because out there, someone is following them,” she said.

If a harassment case is reported in Yemen, Basha added, traditional leaders interfere to cover it up, remove the evidence or terrorize the victim. via AP

The Jawa Report says on Dec. 8 that Yemen’s Amal Basha’s Arab Sisters Forum office was ransacked and the brake lines cut in her car in an assassination attempt.

Basha was unharmed. The incident happened prior to this meeting. Anne