Sonia Dridi has been working as a journalist and foreign correspondent for the last 11 years. Based in France, she has worked for France 24, France 3, Rue89 and is currently a correspondent for RTBF and Europe 1. She is now living in Washington D.C. and reports on an array of issues, from the Charlottesville’s Unite the Right Rally to the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting.
Throughout her time working as a journalist, she has gained attention for her reporting in Cairo, Egypt. She was once attacked on camera by a group of men in Tahrir Square. One headline from the Daily News reads: “French TV journalist Sonia Dridi Attacked by Out-of-Control Protesters in Cairo in Same Square Where CBS Lara Logan Was Sexually Assaulted.” Sonia says their hands were all over her as they attempted to drag her away. “We see it all the time. Men touch women and grab them,” she said. More details can be found here.
Soni Dridi took her horrific encounter and chose to write a French article on an Egyptian woman who was raped in Tahrir Square. This is an English translation of what is stated in her article: “[it’s] difficult for a woman to move alone in the Egyptian capital without being the object of insistent glances, indecent remarks. Whether veiled or not, adolescent or a mother of a family, sexual harassment has plagued Egyptian women’s lives for decades.”
Today, the discussion of sexual assault and violence cases are coming into light, with Harvey Weinstein and James Toback scandals creating controversy in the media. It is important to recognize that in all areas of work, we are exposed to this harsh truth that we must be ready to face as young collegiate women entering the workforce.