NCW monitors 15 harassment cases at Giza Zoo on 2nd day of Eid

CAIRO - 24 August 2018: The National Council for Women (NCW) announced Thursday that it managed to monitor 15 sexual harassment cases at the Giza Zoo during the 2^nd day of Eid Al Adha, as part of its efforts to eliminate this phenomenon in the society.

The council had deployed a field team to monitor harassment cases at the most crowded gathering places during the feast, which reported 15 sexual harassment cases at the Zoo alone. Police reports were filed against the assaulters in coordination with the Women Police Force, according to head of the complaints bureau Nagalaa al-Adly.

The NCW launched a hotline, landline, Whatsapp account and an email to receive women’s complaints against harassment during Eid.

“The council will communicate with all the women who suffered from sexual harassment, to provide them with the psychological and legal support through our team,” Adly told Egypt Today.

Most of complaints received from women were regarding violence against them and inheritance, Adly stated, adding that they were referred to the legal department to get the proper consultancy.

Egypt intensifies the deployment of female police officers to combat sexual harassment on the streets and other public areas during holiday seasons, like the Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.

The policewomen are highly trained to confront harassers and bring them to police station for legal action. They have been trained as well to deal with any form of breaking the law.

The female officers are heavily deployed at several places in the capital where sexual harassment could possibly occur due to overcrowding, such as the ticket windows of parks and cinemas, Cornice al-Nile and downtown Cairo.

Sexual harassment has been an endemic problem in Egypt for years. Therefore, Egypt set Article 306A- in the penal code- to criminalize harassment in the form of words, gestures and any other action that carries sexual hints.

The law imposes a minimum sentence of six-months in prison and a fine that ranges between LE 3,000 and LE 5,000, or one of these penalties on those who are found guilty of sexual harassment in public or private areas.

If an offender repeats his actions, he will face an imprisonment period of not less than a year and a fine of not less than LE 5,000 and not more than LE 10,000.