Egypt’s Parliament Increases Penalties For Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment and related crimes will now be considered felony offenses, Egypt’s parliament agreed on Monday. The parliament increased the penalty for sexual harassment from a minimum of one year in prison to a minimum of five years, or a penalty of up to 300,000 Egyptian pounds, or $19,100, up from 20,000 pounds, Reuters reported.
It also increased jail time for the offense in which there is a power imbalance such as in a workplace or within a family, or where a weapon was used, to a minimum of seven years, up from two, and raised the fine to 500,000 Egyptian pounds, or nearly $32,000.
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The new penalties for such offenses come nearly one year after the parliament approved a law protecting the identity of victims of sexual harassment and assault, in the wake of a social media campaign that led to the arrest of a suspected sex offender. The law was approved after Egyptians began posting accounts of sexual assault on social media in a bid to raise awareness.
A parliamentary committee said in a report on Monday of laws passed in 2014 in support of women who are sexually harassed, that “although the punishments listed were a quantum leap at the time, they did not achieve the necessary deterrence,” Reuters reported.
