Khaberni - Dr. Jamal Fawzy, an advisor of psychiatry in Egypt, revealed a disturbing phenomenon that befell Egyptians during the shocking incident witnessed by one of the villages, in which a young man was publicly humiliated and forced to wear women's clothing.
A widely circulated video clip sparked outrage and shock on the Egyptian streets, showing a group of people forcing a young man to wear a women's dance suit and lifting him up on a chair in a public street in the village of Meet Aseem in the Benha center, Qalyubia Governorate, while assaulting him by beating and mocking in front of passersby.
The most controversial aspect was not just the assault, but the silence of most passersby and their lack of intervention, as some walked by indifferently, others stood watching quietly, while some preferred filming with their phones rather than helping or calling for aid.
In a psychological analysis of this phenomenon, Dr. Jamal Fawzy explained that the bystanders' non-intervention can be attributed to what is known as "herd phenomenon" or waiting for a "lead personality".
He emphasized that in sudden and group situations, individuals tend to wait until someone else intervenes first, then others follow; if no one moves, everyone remains still, a behavior that is involuntary and relies on imitation and collective waiting.
Fawzy added that this behavior intensifies in collective violence, where participants feel a distribution of ethical responsibility among them, granting them a false sense of power and reducing individual guilt, unlike individual violence, which is often associated with a personal disorder in the perpetrator.
Dr. Fawzy pointed out that such incidents have devastating psychological effects, not only on the victim, who suffers from severe psychological pain, feelings of lost dignity and security, and possibly depression or withdrawal, but on society as a whole, noting that witnessing public humiliation generates internal fear among others, and a feeling that any minor mistake could expose them to a similar fate, thus shaking the confidence in community safety.
He also noted that the victim's complete submission without clear resistance could indicate a severe psychological trauma or possible external influence (such as drugs), which requires thorough medical and psychological examinations.
The incident traces back to family and romantic disputes, where the young man was involved in a romantic relationship with a daughter from one of the families, prompting a group of 9 people, including two women, to assault him with the intention of humiliating him. The security forces quickly arrested the accused, who confessed to the deed, and the prosecution took over the investigations, with public calls for increased penalties to deter such behaviors.
Dr. Fawzy stressed the need to confront bullying and collective humiliation through enhancing ethical and legal awareness, establishing a culture of respect for human dignity, and encouraging positive intervention instead of silence or filming.