تمرین مکالمه

Sexual Harassment Around The World

At first glance, everything seems ordinary.

Does everything seem normal at first? Yes, at first glance, everything seems ordinary.

Sisa leaves for work at 6 am, wearing traditional men’s pants, ready to spend the day shining shoes or laying bricks.

What kind of work does Sisa do? Sisa shines shoes and lays bricks. What time does she leave for work? She leaves for work at 6 am. What kind of pants does she wear? She wears traditional men’s pants.

But most people in the neighborhood know that Sisa has a secret.

Who has a secret? Sisa has a secret. Do most people in the neighborhood know about Sisa’s secret? Yes, most people in the neighborhood know about Sisa’s secret.

Despite the men’s clothing and shaved head, she is actually a woman.

Is Sisa a man or a woman? Sisa is a woman. Does she wear men’s clothing or women’s clothing? She wears women’s clothing.

She’s spent more than four decades posing as a man so that she could work alongside them.

How long has she spent posing as a man? She has spent four decades posing as a man. Does she work with men or women? She works with men.

Sisa was six months pregnant when her husband, the family’s sole breadwinner, fell ill and passed away.

Who was the family’s sole breadwinner? The family’s sole breadwinner was Sisa’s husband. What happened to Sisa’s husband? Sisa’s husband fell ill and passed away.

At this time, it was taboo and basically unheard of for Egyptian women to work.

What was taboo at this time? At this time, it was taboo for Egyptian women to work.

The few who did work often faced intense sexual harassment and discrimination.

What happened to the few that did work? The few that did work often faced intense sexual harassment and discrimination.

Instead, they were expected to remarry.

What were women expected to do? Women were expected to remarry.

Sisa’s brothers constantly brought her new suitors.

Did Sisa’s brothers constantly bring her new jobs? No, Sisa’s brothers didn’t constantly bring her new jobs. They constantly brought her new suitors.

But she said that she’d “rather eat dirt” than find a new husband.

What did she say she’d rather do? She said, she’d “rather eat dirt” than find a new husband.

So forty days after her husband’s death, she shaved her head, found men’s garments, and committed to living her life as a man.

Did she shave her head and find men’s garments after her husband died? Yes, she shaved her head and found men’s garments after her husband died. What did she commit to? She committed to living life as a man.

She’s lived this way for 43 years, and continues to do so today, saying she’ll die in men’s clothes.

How long has she lived this way? She’s lived this way for 43 years. Does she live this way today? Yes, she lives this way today.

Many of us might be thinking, how hard would it have been to live as a woman back then? What about today?

How hard would it be for you to live this way today?

A 24-year-old male Egyptian actor, Waleed Hammad, wanted to know the same thing.

Did Waleed Hammad want to know the same thing? Yes, Waleed Hammad wanted to know the same thing. What is Hammad’s job? Hammad’s job is an actor.

What is it like to be a woman out in public in Cairo, Egypt? Is Egypt really facing an “epidemic of sexual harassment” like many activists claim?

He underwent four hours of make-up, plucked his eyebrows, shaved his arms, wore a wig and dressed as a woman before hitting the streets.

Who hit the streets looking this way? Hammad hit the streets looking this way. What did he put on his face? He put make-up on his face. What did he do to his eyebrows? He plucked his eyebrows. What did he do to his arms? He shaved his arms. What did he wear on his head? He wore a wig on his head. What kind of clothes did he wear? He wore women’s clothes.

He also wore a hidden camera to document his experience. What he recorded was shocking.

How did he document his experience? He wore a hidden camera to document his experience. Was his experience shocking? Yes, his experience was shocking.

Within minutes of stepping onto the sidewalk, Waleed said he felt like he was under a microscope.

How did Waleed feel? He felt like he was under a microscope.

Men stared at him, made sexual advances and offered him money for sex.

What did men offer him? Men offered him money for sex.

Things took a dangerous turn when one man followed Waleed for more than 45 minutes, grabbing his arm, begging for his phone number, and insisting on taking him on a date.

Did things take a dangerous turn? Yes, things took a dangerous turn.

Waleed admits that he was scared, and says he can’t imagine living his life like that every single day, like so many women around the world.

Was Waleed scared? Yes, Waleed was scared. What couldn’t he imagine? He couldn’t imagine living his life like that every single day.

Sexual harassment isn’t an issue unique to Egypt.

Is this kind of problem unique to Egypt? No, this kind of problem isn’t unique to Egypt.

In another video from New York City, a woman recorded herself being harassed more than 100 times as she spent the day walking around the city.

How many times was the woman harassed? The woman was harassed more than 100 times.

In the US and Egypt, this kind of sexual harassment happens all too often.

Does this happen all too often in the US and Egypt? Yes, this happens all too often in the US and Egypt.

What about in your country?

[To watch the harassment videos that Waleed and the woman from New York City made, click the ‘read transcript’ button below the audio players on the lesson page.]