Proposed amendments to sexual assault penalties

CAIRO – 12 December 2017: Parliament member (MP) Mona Monir proposed amendments to the penal code section on sexual assault crimes in law No. 58/1937 due to the increase in rape and sexual harassment in Egypt recently. The following are the suggested amendments.

1) Penalties for sexual assault and kidnapping of women and children vary between death and serving 15 years or more in prison.

2) Rape incurs either death or lifetime sentences.

3) If the rapist is a family member, guardian or has authority over the victim, and if the victim is disabled, the penalty is death.

4) Sexual assault and attempts of sexual assault incur a penalty of serving 15 years or more in prison.

5) Convicts who sexually assault children below the age of 8 receive death sentences.

6) Anyone who incites sexual assault in public places serves one year in prison minimum.

Monir told press on Tuesday that the current penal code was promulgated in 1975 and that it should be amended to combat ascending crime rates in Egypt. She highlighted that many try to take revenge on perpetuators who are not perceived to be fairly penalized, which jeopardizes social peace.

The MP added that there has been a hike in child kidnapping for ransom, illegal organ trade and trafficking.

According to a study conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2013, the number of female rape victims reaches 20,000 annually. A report released by the same institution this year designated Cairo as the world’s most dangerous megacity for women due to the huge amount of verbal and sexual harassment they face.