Marital rape normalisation in Egyptian narratives: Challenging popular narratives of marital rape in Egypt

Abstract

Marital rape is not considered a crime under the laws of 111 countries around the world (UN Women 2019). As shocking as this might sound to various populations, Egypt not only does not criminalise marital rape by law, but also the culture of victim blaming constantly prevents women from seeking help (Hussein 2021). The main argument of this essay is that dominant narratives of marital rape in 21st-century Egypt are a vital tool of memory production that preserves the patriarchal society. Hence, legal and social change will only occur when dominant narratives are deconstructed. Marital rape is surrounded by narratives of victim blaming and systematic denial of the existence of rape within marriage. This leads to a backlash against women who speak up and activists trying to bring about justice for marital rape victims/survivors, in addition to the fact that marital rape is still not considered rape by the Egyptian society as it “does not fit the image of the stranger in the dark alley” (Abdelaal 2021). This essay is set to discuss the constructions of narratives on marital rape survivors in Egypt, particularly on different media platforms such as online/newspaper articles, films, or TV series and talk shows. On the other hand, this essay also aims to discuss the ways in which public narratives around marital rape can be changed or are – arguably – slowly changing.