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I was groped by a man in a black suit when walking past the Sultanahmet tram stop. He squeezed my upper arm as I walked by. He grabbed me in such a way that I realized he had meant to squeeze my breast, but missed and grabbed my arm instead. I only saw him from behind, but he was about 5’6″-5’8″ tall and probably around 50 years old. My husband was right beside me when this happened, and the man didn’t even care that my husband was there–he grabbed me anyway.
It has happened to me a lot to be touched in Istanbul, despite all my efforts to be unseen in the crowd in terms of clothing. I go to Istanbul every month for my work; I am a storekeeper in Hungary (clothes, accessories). It is not always easy to go and travel everywhere in the city alone.
This time, I was in the tramway, at the Beyazit station. Believe me, I would prefer my working places to be in Nişantaşı or Cihangir, but unfortunately this is not the case. The tramway was completely full, while I was going out the train; I was grabbed not from my front but my behind! A man grabbed literally my vagina! As it was crowded and that I was getting off the train, I could not see which man it was. I was furious and was staring at all of them with an outraged look.
Often, I would like to be a large dude and slap them in the face. Instead, I feel alone isolated from everyone, and violated by all those guys, who don´t lose any occasion to look at my breast, my thighs, as if I was an appetizing piece of meat at the butcher´s.
I have been feeling humiliated and furious, all evening long (it happened at 7 p.m). I regret that I cannot speak Turkish better to explain to them what I think about their behavior. And above all I don´t understand why it gives them a sensation of satisfaction or pleasure. I´m also convinced that other people around me see what happens when it happens, and I don´t understand how they can accept this.