17 harassers arrested in Alexandria in Eid festivals

CAIRO - 26 June 2017: Seventeen men were arrested in Alexandria for harassing women near cinemas and public parks during the first day of Eid al-Fitr, security sources told Egypt Today on Monday.

According to the police plan for countering harassment during Eid al-Fitr, released on Saturday, extra security measures have been taken to curtail incidents of sexual harassment during the three-day celebration following the holy month of Ramadan.

Female officers said they have been equipped with several items to assist them in their duties, such as iron batons. “Anyone who would harass a woman would regret it,” one policewoman said.

On Sunday, four men were arrested for verbally harassing women in Cairo’s Fustat National Park.

The National Council for Women (NCW) announced on Thursday that a special operations room to follow sexual harassment complaints during Eid has been established within their plan to confront terrorism.

“We will be joining the police forces’ campaigns in the streets during Eid, as we are going to cooperate with the special unit confronting violence against women, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior,” NCW head Maya Morsi said.

Incidents of sexual harassment have been commonplace in recent years during Eid - on the streets, in crowded malls and cinemas. In June 2016, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement that about 120 women were sexually harassed during the first two days of Eid.