During the #MeToo Movement every country had its own glass breakers who came out and went on to create a rage with their stories. For India, it was actor Tanushree Dutta and for Egypt, it was Nadeen Ashraf the founder of the Instagram page- Assault Police.
The account was initially created to bring out the culprit who was responsible for ruining the lives of 50+ silent victims in Egypt. Later, it became a platform for women to come forward with their stories and share their testimonies without being apprehensive about anything. Slowly and gradually it created a movement with many women coming forward to share their experiences with sexual harassment.
Her first post against the accused Ahmed Bassam Zaki who was under the radar for rape, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, brought a huge wave in Egypt's MeToo Movement. Moreover, the Egyptian government also played a part in uplifting the movement by approving a legislative amendment in the criminal code to protect the identities of rape, harassment, and assault victims during court cases.
Journey Of Nadeen Ashraf
Nadeen Ashraf is a 22-year-old philosophy major who was up late at night when she got preoccupied with the Facebook post against Ahmed Bassam Zaki which mysteriously got disappeared. Enraged with the happening she created an Instagram account that identified the accused. The post garnered appraisal in no time. The post also consisted of accusations against him of his misdeeds. Ashraf got various DMs where women came out with their stories and this is how Egypt's MeToo movement was born. Within a week of her post, the accused was arrested.
This year, Nadeen Ashraf was featured on BBC's list of 100 most influential women of 2020. The BBC's website read, "Nadeen is now seen within the feminist movement as a linchpin for social change in the fight against sexual harassment."
In an interview with Egyptian Streets, Ashraf revealed her plans of expanding the online platform into a full-fledged organisation that can support survivors and can connect them to legal aid, professionals, and therapy.
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Ashraf comes from an apolitical family in Cairo. Her mother is a nutritionist while her father owns a software company. While the #MeToo movement was in full swing in the United States she didn't pay much attention to it even when she had her share of experience of assault. When Ashraf was just 11-year-old a delivery man carrying laundry approached her as she walked down the street and slapped her bottom. She didn't even know what happened with her. Years later, Ashraf is helping women to come out of their ordeals.
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