CAIRO – Egypt’s Parliament yesterday passed a law toughening sentences for sexual harassment to at least five years in prison, Egyptian media outlets reported.
The amendment makes sexual harassment a criminal offence, as opposed to a misdemeanour, and raises the minimum penalty from 1½ years in prison plus a fine.
It also imposes a minimum sentence of seven years in prison for crimes in which the attacker uses a weapon, or in which multiple attackers are involved.
Multiple studies have found that most Egyptian women have experienced sexual harassment at least once in their lives.
Recent years have also seen a string of group attacks in crowded areas. – AFP, July 12, 2021
