Maghreb Edition

Brief: Egypt steps up penalties for sexual harassmentF

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Posted On 12 July 2021

Number of times this article was read : 435

Egypt’s parliament on Sunday 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 a year and half 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

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