Cairo – 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.
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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.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
