Published: 6 June 2013
Country: Egypt
The Egyptian TV programme “Awel el Khait” has got the attention of the giant media CNN. This network has reported on the third episode of the programme ”Awel el Khait” broadcast on Egyptian ONTV and supported by the Media Diversity Institute (MDI).
The topic of the third episode aired in May was the problem of sexual harassment in Egyptian society. The producers of the show dressed a man as a woman and sent him into streets of Cairo. The result of this kind of undercover action was the full exposure of a sexual harassment in Egypt.
In the video, it can be seen how a man followed the actor for 45 minutes to the point that he grabbed him for the arm to force him to give his telephone number and get a date.
During the episode, a man who dresses as a woman experiences the harassment that the majority of women suffer in Egypt. More than 90% of Egyptian women have faced sexual harassment, according to the Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt published by United Nations last month.
The third episode of the TV show “Awel el Khait “ has also a studio part where sociologists, psychiatrists and religious scholars discuss the socio-cultural causes of sexual harassment. A member of the al-Nour Salafi party also was invited to talk about the proposed law criminalizing violence against women which for the first time contains articles that refer to sexual harassment.
The episode, which had over 55,000 views in the first week, has been covered not only by CNN but by other international media such as the BBC and the Reuters.
“Awel el Khait” has demonstrated its great influence as the result of the second episode, which discussed the closure of most of the 544 Takamol hospitals, was the order of reopening all the hospitals.
“Media in Egypt need proper journalism and different journalistic forms. We have many talk shows and a lot of talking here in Egypt. But ’Awel el Khayt’ is well researched, coherent programme. The whole idea is to produce a relevant programing, inclusive and diverse”, said Ali Belail, the director of Belail Media production in an interview for MDI website.
The TV programme is produced by Belail Media Production and broadcast once a month on ONTV. The Media Diversity Institute has supported the TV programme by providing training and technical support as part of a project “Rebuilding Post-revolution Egyptian Media: EMBRACING FREE EXPRESSION, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS” funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).