Thanks to L.S. for calling it what it is.
In Amman, I had the chance to interview two cases of exposure to SH where it most commonly occurs, on the main road or in the workplace. My first case Kate (not her real name) was an American-Asian woman in her 30s. Her incident happened in the evening around 8:00pm. She was walking by herself on a foot bridge at 3rd circle. The perpetrator was walking from the other side of the bridge, and when he passed her, he turned around then groped her from behind. Kate said: “When the perpetrator harassed me, I told him ‘haram aleik’ (what you did is prohibited).” He calmly smiled and walked away. After the incident, Kate expressed that she felt sick to her stomach. For many months, Kate became afraid to walk by herself, particularly at night, and she felt hatred for males, seeking to avoid contact with them for over a month after the incident.
Another case Nadine (not her real name) was walking in the early morning around 8:00am up some steps leading onto Rainbow Street in Jabal-Amman, and a man was waiting there. Nadine mentioned that when she walked past him, he placed his hand on her breast – she immediately smacked it off and screamed. The perpetrator turned around and calmly walked down the steps and acted as if nothing had happened. Nadine stated that she screamed “haram!” at him, “but that would not mean anything to someone as Godless as he was – so even using that word was futile.”
These two cases are examples for other women and girls who are victims of SH in Jordan. Unfortunately, these result from a socio-cultural heritage and a weak legal framework in which a woman’s body is treated as property. Jordanian laws provide little or no protection for female victims of violence. Jordan’s penal codes classify SV as against public morals and ethics, explaining that any crime against an individual is a crime against the norms and values (Amnesty International, 2005). The legal and social barriers (culture of silence) and discriminatory legislation in force in Jordan does not act as a restriction to violence, nor does it provide victims with adequate rights for the abuse they have suffered. Therefore, these risks should be taken into serious consideration when confronting the phenomenon of SV.
http://www.7iber.com/2009/11/a-legal-framework-against-sexual-violence/
What’s worse is that a woman is taught very early that if a man grabs you in public, DON’T YOU DARE SCREAM AND MAKE A SCENE!! you will only bring a scandal upon yourself. Just act as if nothing happened…