Buenos Aires Peru New Zealand Travel. Egypt Egypt has a reputation for sexual harassment. Female visitors regularly complain that too little of their vacation time was spent relaxing, and too much dealing with hustlers and perverts. It seems no matter what a woman does to 'respect traditions', unwanted attention persists. Understanding the cultural roots of the problem, however, can go a long way.
Sexual harassment is a derivative of sexual repression.
Conservative Egyptian society cherishes a girl's virginity, and the hymen is deemed sacred. Mistakenly believing this fragile membrane to be the litmus test of virginity, the bride's family is shamed if blood does not spill on the bedsheets on a girl's wedding night. In some rural communities, the bride's family parades the bloodied sheets to settle any doubts neighbors may have had. Sometimes it's not the groom who gets the honor of taking his bride's virginity. Instead, the girl is held down while a family member wraps a white cloth around a forefinger and sends it home, showing inquisitive neighbors the results.