In a family gathering, where everyone is busy exchanging greetings and asking who\u2019s arrived and who\u2019s missing, the reception room\u2014and in fact, the whole house\u2014is reserved for the adults. Children are told to play elsewhere.
This is just one scenario\u2014details may vary, but the cruelty is the same\u2014repeated around us almost daily. The TV drama Lam Shamsiya<\/strong>, which aired during Ramadan 2025 and has just concluded, brought to light one of the biggest taboos in our Arab societies: sexual harassment of children<\/strong>. Through it, we follow the journey of young Youssef and his parents as they confront Wissam\u2014the perpetrator\u2014through sessions of psychotherapy. <\/p>\n\n From a dramatic standpoint, the series delivered with creativity and professionalism. Credit must be given to Egyptian actor Mohamed Shaheen<\/strong> for his portrayal of Wissam\u2014not only for his convincing performance, but also for the courage it took to accept such a role. That, after all, is the essence of art: exposing such realities. Yet, in our societies, there is little acceptance and even less forgiveness. Some may view this work as a permanent stain on Shaheen\u2019s professional and personal life. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n This raises harder questions: Could a mother in such circumstances withstand the sharp, judgmental gaze of society while openly speaking about what happened to her son? Could she stand firm against all those who would try to dissuade her? And even if she did, to whom could she complain? Who would return her son\u2019s stolen rights? And years later, would her son forgive her for the \u201cscandal\u201d she created in the name of justice? <\/p>\n\n Around the same time the series aired, a post went viral on Facebook: The series also highlighted the crucial role of the psychiatrist in containing the crisis and guiding the family. But how much does an individual psychotherapy session cost? Let alone group therapy? Sadly, in our society, therapy remains a luxury that only a few can afford, even though it is essential to recovery and preventing deeper psychological scars. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n On top of all this, the show avoided portraying the most extreme cases. In reality, abuse most often comes from people close to the child\u2019s family\u2014a relative, a family friend, or even a teacher. But did you know there are cases where fathers abuse their own children? Sometimes it stems from vile sexual urges, and at other times from a desire to assert control, strip away agency, and impose absolute dominance\u2014a deliberate breaking of the self and the spirit, forcing the victim into submission. <\/p>\n\n As for one final critique\u2014whether it counts as artistic feedback or satire\u2014the choice to end the series with the song \u201cEslemy Ya Masr\u201d (Peace Be Upon You, Egypt) was\u2026 peculiar. Perhaps Egypt was one of Wissam\u2019s victims without our knowing, but the choice also serves as a reminder of another kind of authority the series ignored\u2014an authority not so different from patriarchal power in its dictatorship, dominance, and suppression of rights and freedoms. <\/p>\n\n We don\u2019t diminish the importance of Lam Shamsiya\u2014it offers hope for dramas free of ideological bias and detached from shallow portrayals of reality. But it\u2019s worth digging deeper into the topic, because reality is far harsher. The creators chose a social class whose circumstances are less grim than most, but there are many untold stories. How will Youssef\u2019s life unfold as he grows up? <\/p>\n\n Consider Kareem\u2014one survivor\u2014who still lives with the trauma of sexual abuse by a relative. He was too young at the time to understand what was happening, though he sensed something was wrong. When he grew older, he realized the horror of it all\u2014but by then, it was too late to complain, protest, or even seek revenge. <\/p>\n\n And yet, he is forced to shake hands with his abuser at every family gathering. \u201cImagine having to show respect to the one who broke you<\/strong>\u201d\u2014to exchange pleasantries, respect, even admiration, simply because he is older than you. Imagine being forced to shake hands with the monster who devoured you\u2026 to show warmth to your killer\u2026 to fall into the arms of the very person who violated you. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Kareem lives for years with a deep sense of helplessness. Every encounter with his relative feels like a renewed violation, and he swallows his pain in silence. Nothing changes\u2014except for the way his suffering grows heavier. There\u2019s no one he can confide in, and speaking out would only create deeper rifts within the family. His position is further weakened by his complete inability to prove any of his accusations. The truth remains: the pain does not end when the sexual abuse of a child stops, the victim\u2019s rights may never be restored, and happy endings rarely exist in such cases. <\/p>\n\n In the end\u2014and perhaps, despite its flaws\u2014without this series, awareness might never have grown, and a taboo as heavy as sexual harassment of children might never have been broken or brought into public discourse. Certainly, after the series ended, at least a small segment of people began taking serious stands, seeking to reclaim their children\u2019s rights. One work will lead to another, and perhaps one day, we will reach the level of societal awareness we need. Lam Shamsiya has opened the door to a public consciousness that may, one day, put an end to the tyranny of silence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a family gathering, where everyone is busy exchanging greetings and asking who\u2019s arrived and who\u2019s missing, the reception room\u2014and in fact, the whole house\u2014is reserved for the adults. Children are told to play elsewhere.But one child doesn\u2019t find his place among the other kids. Like a stray gazelle, he becomes easy prey for predators. But what predators could possibly exist in such a warm, familiar atmosphere? They are the hidden predators among us\u2014those who seize such opportunities to lure the wandering child. Gender, skin color, appearance, or age make no difference; what matters is that the child feels safe enough to walk into the trap and is too afraid to speak of what happened. This is just one scenario\u2014details may vary, but the cruelty is the same\u2014repeated around us almost daily. The TV drama Lam Shamsiya, which aired during Ramadan 2025 and has just concluded, brought to light one of the biggest taboos in our Arab societies: sexual harassment of children. Through it, we follow the journey of young Youssef and his parents as they confront Wissam\u2014the perpetrator\u2014through sessions of psychotherapy. From a dramatic standpoint, the series delivered with creativity and professionalism. Credit must be given to Egyptian actor Mohamed Shaheen for his portrayal of Wissam\u2014not only for his convincing performance, but also for the courage it took to accept such a role. That, after all, is the essence of art: exposing such realities. Yet, in our societies, there is little acceptance and even less forgiveness. Some may view this work as a permanent stain on Shaheen\u2019s professional and personal life. But what if Youssef had come from a lower social, economic, or educational background\u2014where taboos hold even more power, and ignorance and limited awareness prevail? Would he still have found a mother willing to hold him close, listen, and decide to fight such a battle for him? This raises harder questions: Could a mother in such circumstances withstand the sharp, judgmental gaze of society while openly speaking about what happened to her son? Could she stand firm against all those who would try to dissuade her? And even if she did, to whom could she complain? Who would return her son\u2019s stolen rights? And years later, would her son forgive her for the \u201cscandal\u201d she created in the name of justice? Around the same time the series aired, a post went viral on Facebook:\u201cLucky is the one whose childhood passed without anyone touching them inappropriately.\u201dTo understand the societal pressure and the cruel lens through which cases of sexual harassment against children are viewed\u2014where the victim, not the perpetrator, is stigmatized\u2014just look at the comments:\u201cThe pride of being the only one who didn\u2019t get touched as a kid.\u201d (422 reactions)\u201cHey, you got touched.\u201d\u201cThis is the post your wife will show you on your wedding night instead of the bike story, just to say you were harassed.\u201dThese are only a small sample of the comments\u2014hundreds more reveal just a fraction of the battle victims face if they choose to speak up. The series also highlighted the crucial role of the psychiatrist in containing the crisis and guiding the family. But how much does an individual psychotherapy session cost? Let alone group therapy? Sadly, in our society, therapy remains a luxury that only a few can afford, even though it is essential to recovery and preventing deeper psychological scars. The series underscored the vital role of the psychiatrist in containing the crisis and guiding the family. But how much does a single psychotherapy session cost? And what about group sessions? On top of all this, the show avoided portraying the most extreme cases. In reality, abuse most often comes from people close to the child\u2019s family\u2014a relative, a family friend, or even a teacher. But did you know there are cases where fathers abuse their own children? Sometimes it stems from vile sexual urges, and at other times from a desire to assert control, strip away agency, and impose absolute dominance\u2014a deliberate breaking of the self and the spirit, forcing the victim into submission. As for one final critique\u2014whether it counts as artistic feedback or satire\u2014the choice to end the series with the song \u201cEslemy Ya Masr\u201d (Peace Be Upon You, Egypt) was\u2026 peculiar. Perhaps Egypt was one of Wissam\u2019s victims without our knowing, but the choice also serves as a reminder of another kind of authority the series ignored\u2014an authority not so different from patriarchal power in its dictatorship, dominance, and suppression of rights and freedoms. We don\u2019t diminish the importance of Lam Shamsiya\u2014it offers hope for dramas free of ideological bias and detached from shallow portrayals of reality. But it\u2019s worth digging deeper into the topic, because reality is far harsher. The creators chose a social class whose circumstances are less grim than most, but there are many untold stories. How will Youssef\u2019s life unfold as he grows up? Consider Kareem\u2014one survivor\u2014who still lives with the trauma of sexual abuse by a relative. He was too young at the time to understand what was happening, though he sensed something was wrong. When he grew older, he realized the horror of it all\u2014but by then, it was too late to complain, protest, or even seek revenge. And yet, he is forced to shake hands with his abuser at every family gathering. \u201cImagine having to show respect to the one who broke you\u201d\u2014to exchange pleasantries, respect, even admiration, simply because he is older than you. Imagine being forced to shake hands with the monster who devoured you\u2026 to show warmth to your killer\u2026 to fall into the arms of the very person who violated you. The pain does not end when the sexual abuse of a child stops. The victim\u2019s rights may never be restored, and in most cases, happy endings simply do not exist. Kareem lives for years with a deep sense of helplessness. Every encounter with his relative feels like a renewed violation, and he swallows his pain in silence. Nothing changes\u2014except for the way his suffering grows<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[340,339,382,447],"tags":[474,472,417,371,343,342,471,473,448,475,376],"class_list":["post-13342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-opinion","category-our-arab-world","category-we-and-society","tag-children","tag-drama","tag-egypt","tag-lebanon-en-2","tag-mental_health","tag-opinion","tag-psychotherapy","tag-sexual-harassment","tag-society","tag-tv-series","tag-youth-en-2"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm-300x167.webp",300,167,true],"large":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/whatsapp-image-2025-04-01-at-5.37.01-pm.webp",900,500,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"\u0623\u062d\u0645\u062f \u0633\u0627\u0645\u0631","author_link":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/author\/ahmed-samer\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Blog<\/a> Opinion<\/a> Our Arab World<\/a> We and Society<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"In a family gathering, where everyone is busy exchanging greetings and asking who\u2019s arrived and who\u2019s missing, the reception room\u2014and in fact, the whole house\u2014is reserved for the adults. Children are told to play elsewhere.But one child doesn\u2019t find his place among the other kids. Like a stray gazelle, he becomes easy prey for predators.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
But what if Youssef had come from a lower social, economic, or educational background\u2014where taboos hold even more power, and ignorance and limited awareness prevail? Would he still have found a mother willing to hold him close, listen, and decide to fight such a battle for him? <\/pre>\n\n
\n
The series underscored the vital role of the psychiatrist in containing the crisis and guiding the family. But how much does a single psychotherapy session cost? And what about group sessions? <\/pre>\n\n
\n
The pain does not end when the sexual abuse of a child stops. The victim\u2019s rights may never be restored, and in most cases, happy endings simply do not exist. <\/pre>\n\n