#MeToo is a privilege: Sexual assault and harassment in the Middle East

More and more men have been held accountable for sexual harassment by women who have gathered the courage to share their stories. How to add your name to the list? Type two simple words on the internet: “me too.” Women have come together under this expression, uniting as one empowered force to tell the world: “we will not be silent any longer.” This movement is extremely heartening, of course, and not to mention a significant step forward for the feminist movement; however, not all victims have the privilege of speaking out.

Plenty of A-list stories have been heard, and that isn’t a bad thing. Yet when we focus on the cons of being rich and famous and watch the internet sympathize, what happens to the names that we don’t know? To the women who don’t get to speak? The victims who don’t get to write two tiny words on Twitter in fear of deadly consequences? Who saves them?

“In Afghanistan, women can’t say they faced sexual harassment,” says Shaharzad Akbar, a well-known advocate for rights of Afghan women. “If a woman shares someone’s identity, he will kill her or her family. We can never accuse men, especially high-ranking men, without great risk.” Victims are not even safe from their families, let alone a whole society. For example, a 14-year-old girl was arrested for adultery after she told her parents that she was raped by her uncle. Following four months of imprisonment, she was finally freed with defense from the International Legal System. It’s not uncommon for victims to be disowned or killed by relatives who think that the shame of rape is worse than rape itself, whether it’s towards the victim or to the family.

Zainab Ansari, a 7-yearold girl living in Kasur, Pakistan, was on her way to school when she was kidnapped, raped several times, and strangled to death. Her body was found rotting in a pile of landfill four days after she died. Ansari is now a part of Kasur’s “dirty legacy,” as this is just one of twelve incidents of its kind in 2017 - far too many to have no action taken. Nadia Jamil, an Afghan TV reporter, took to Twitter to say, “Raped, killed, found in trash of Kasur…NOW look at this and decide what you want to use your voice on social media for. How long will we be silent about child abuse? How many Zainabs will it take?” Zainab did not survive, but, of course, many victims in places like Kasur and all across the globe do. However, there continues to be little word from these places, and no help is sent.

It’s plain and simple: being a victim can, and will, make you a criminal.

And what do we do about it? We sit and watch the rich and famous walk around in their thousand dollar dresses - money that could go to about a million more worthwhile causes - and preach for women to have the courage to stand up to their abusers. It’s common knowledge that all eyes are on progressive movements enforced by celebrities. The Hollywood community has the capability and the influence to make a global change, so why don’t they? When is the time up for child rape in Pakistan? When is the time up for the abusive, male dominant culture of Afghanistan? When is the time up for legal systems that don’t justify sexual assault cases?

When we hear about women hiding their stories, we don’t automatically think there’s a vulgar or fatal reason behind it. We don’t think of the teenage girl arrested for adultery, or the 7-yearold left in the trash. Instead, we simply wish them courage and let them be. It’s not easy to be told that you have it better than some, especially in the case of sexual assault, but this needs to be swallowed. No matter how much it should not be, being able to say “me too” is a privilege.

That said, all sexual harassment and assault cases are important, and every single one should be heard. The men and women who have come out about injustice are extremely admirable and courageous, especially with platforms where all eyes are watching. But those who have come out with their stories, especially the A-listers, should be using their platforms to make everyone feel safe facing their sexual harassment. All women, all men, everywhere.