Egypt’s new anti-sexual harassment law submitted to cabinet

10 years ago | Posted in: Laws | 673 Views

An amendment to Egypt’s existing law on harassment has been revised by the justice ministry’s legislative section and sent to the cabinet, aide to the justice minister Ahmed El-Sergany said Wednesday.

 

The law, which was first submitted to the justice ministry by the cabinet, will be revised for a final time by the cabinet before referring it to the president to formally issue it “soon,” El-Sergany said in a press conference in the justice ministry’s headquarters.

Earlier, there was no specific law proscribing sexual harassment in Egypt. However, three articles in the penal code were sometimes applied in cases of sexual harassment.

El-Sergany said the new draft law provides, for the first time in Egypt, a definition of sexual harassment. The draft states that a sexual harasser is one who “accosts others in a public or private place through following or stalking them, using gestures or words or through modern means of communication or in any other means through actions that carry sexual or pornographic hints.”

The new suggested punishment includes a prison sentence, a fine or both. The prison sentence is a minimum of one year and doesn’t exceed 10 years, and the fine is of no less than LE10,000 and doesn’t exceed LE20,000.

El-Sergany adds that if the sexual harassment a female suffers comes from someone who is superior, for instance in her place of work or schooling, the prison sentence would be between three to seven years with a fine between LE10,000 to LE20,000… see more

source: ahram online

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