Media advocacy and policy making in Egypt: Sexual harassment as a case study

Egypt is undergoing many reforms and advocates seek to get policy makers to adopt some policy changes that can resolve many of the social problems faced by the nation. Sexual Harassment (SH) is a serious problem that needs integrated efforts among advocates, media, policy makers and the public to fight it. Media advocacy incorporates them altogether; the media direct the light on the advocates\u27 policy goals and solutions to influence policy makers and generate favorable public debate. The objective of the study is to examine to what extent media advocacy on SH issue in Egypt is strategically employed. It reviews the planning, implementation, media and policy outcomes of the media advocacy campaign on SH issue as well as its influential factors. This study is an attempt to bridge the gap between media and policy studies. For the methodology, the study employed the qualitative method using case study approach on SH. It conducted eighteen in depth interviews using the triangulation approach among three main segments; advocates, media experts and policy makers. Focusing events proved to be an effective media access strategy and the corner stone behind the outcomes of the media advocacy campaign. These outcomes were translated in some policy changes including legislative amendments and security policies. However, advocates did not address all dimensions of the problem definition of SH. Coalition building is necessary for advocates to unite their efforts and strengthen media advocacy. The unprofessional media performance negatively influenced media advocacy. There was no opposition to the SH issue, but rather a strong cultural barrier. Media proved to be influential on policy makers especially when reinforced with the public support. Overall, the communication strategy of the media advocacy campaign on SH had its strengths and weaknesses