#ItsNotOkay: A Social Media Campaign Against Sexual Harassment in Sudan

Over the past few years, people in Khartoum have made it a tradition to go big on New Year’s Eve. This year, despite the ongoing pandemic, people still made it a point to celebrate in the same fashion as always. Concerts were held, fireworks were displayed, and people took to the streets celebrating with their families and friends. Unfortunately, and also in line with what has been happening in the years before, a case of an alleged sexual assault incident has been shared only several hours after the events of the night.

For as long as we have known, sexual harassment has been a deep-rooted issue within the Sudanese community. Every year, during New Year’s Eve, in the midst of celebration, claims of sexual harassment surface, which shine light on the problem of sexual harassment and assault in Sudan even more so than usual. Young women take to social media and report incidents they have gone through or witnessed, striving to spread awareness and fight against sexual harassment.

This year, on the eve of 2021, a news headline was published on the news sharing Instagram account @gladiatorsd, infuriating thousands of people across social media and fueling a conversation about sexual harassment in Sudan. The headline stated that 20 men allegedly raped a girl at gunpoint by on the dawn of 1 January. There were also other allegations shared by other people. Some of these stated that the assaulters were military men, while others mentioned police officers being at the scene of the incident.

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A post shared by جلاديتور السودان 🇸🇩 (@gladiator_sd)

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A post shared by The Sudan Page 🇸🇩 (@thesudanpage)

It is still unclear whether the incident happened or not, primarily because the victim and her assaulters have not been identified, and there were no arrests made. However, it still triggered a social media campaign against sexual harassment and assault.

A number of young Sudanese people started two hashtags on 3 January in support of the movement against sexual harassment. The two hashtags were #ItsNotOkay and #نحنا_معاكي or Nihna Ma’aki (we are with you), quickly trending on Twitter and Instagram only hours later. 

Samah Idrees, a 16-year-old student, was one of the youth who started these hashtags. During a conversation I had with her, she stated that the reason they started this online campaign is to stand with victims of sexual harassment. “We hope to show support, firstly, to the New Year’s Eve victim and other victims too. To show them that they’re not alone,” she said. “Also to raise awareness that it’s never the victim’s fault, that such topics considered as ‘taboo’ are the ones we should be discussing because victims are increasing, which means rapists and harassers are increasing and walking free.” Moreover, Idrees also mentioned her gratefulness for the other members of the campaign for sharing these goals and striving to make them a possibility.

Subsequently, there were many tweets and Instagram posts shared under these hashtags which reflected more or less the same thoughts. Many Sudanese people used the hashtags to raise awareness about the issue, sharing their own stories and supporting others who shared theirs. In addition, there have been posts about a protest, organised by a group of people to support women who are victims of all forms of violence, on 11 January in front of the Ministry of Justice. 

While one side of the conversation stood firm on fighting against sexual harassment and assault, and supporting victims, the other side, however, exhibited a negative attitude towards the victim of the gang rape on New Year’s Eve, and generally other victims of sexual harassment and assault.

For instance, there were countless comments on the original Instagram post where people attempted to justify the rapists’ actions. Some people commented that the victim may have been inappropriately dressed, and as it was New Year’s Eve, she was supposedly out at a late hour. By stating this, they may have implied that the victim was ‘asking’ to be assaulted. In addition to these negative and problematic perspectives, many people also shared contradicting thoughts about sexual harassment in general. These explained that girls should be more careful in what they wear and what time they go out, the reason for this being the dangerous state of the country at nighttime and the menacing nature of some men. In other words, they may be suggesting that instead of lawfully controlling the assaulters, there should be certain limits imposed on young girls and women to avoid being sexually harassed or assaulted.

There are countless reasons why some people may not understand sexual assault crimes, and our role should be to educate them. As a community, most Sudanese people are taught to automatically point fingers at the victims. It is time we change that narrative by teaching our community to protect and support the victims. The only way that can be done is if the governing bodies start dealing with the problem’s primary cause: the assaulter. We should also teach our people that it should not matter how a woman is dressed, where she is, or what time of the day it happens. No matter the circumstances, rape and sexual assault are injustices that should not be vindicated.

Rape is criminalised by Article 149 of the Criminal Act 1991 with the death penalty applied in some circumstances, whereas sexual harassment was criminalised in 2015 by Article 151 of the Criminal Act. Despite the establishment of these laws, many rape victims are tried for the criminal offense of offending public morality, and may face a sentence of death by stoning for adultery. The laws are not properly carried out, which may be because of the unstable justice system and corrupt police forces of the country. As a consequence, many rape and sexual harassment criminals are left unpunished.

Needless to say, this isn’t meant to be a conflict to determine right from wrong, because there is nothing right about the alleged New Year’s Eve rape incident, or any of other claims of sexual harassment and assault. It is a mere fact that sexual harassment has been a growing concern in the Sudanese community for a while now. It has never been a doubt or question, and this is the one thing we should be able to guarantee 100%. For as long as it continues to be an issue in our country, we must continue to support those who come forward with truthful stories, and to speak up for those who can’t. We must fight against this injustice until all the victims are avenged, and every woman can walk freely and unharmed. 

Samar Bengawi can be summed up in one word: workaholic. Born and raised in the UAE, and now based in Sudan. A medical student with a strong passion for words and music. You’ll always find her between the pages of a book, or near a cup of tea. She considers herself a patriotic and aspiring activist whose only hope is to leave a memorable mark in the world.