Social media erupted in anger after video of Egyptian teacher harassing girl

CAIRO – 26 September 2020: A teacher was arrested after a video showing him harassing a girl and kissing her in a room. A hashtag calling to sentence him to death went viral on Twitter.

The footage that was posted on social media is believed to be taken by neighbors of the girl in El-Khalifa district, center Cairo, who filmed him through the window and stopped when he noticed them.

The accused teacher is believed to be old, and was giving the girl a private lesson, when the 40-sec video was taken of them. He started pulling her towards him, hugged her and then kissed her.

The footage attracted wide anger wave on social media, with Twitter users launching a hashtag (Death sentence for the harassing teacher). The hashtag went viral to help identify the teacher and arrest him, and warn of the risk our children are facing from such “ill behavior.”

Another tweet said that “the new generations will suffer psychological problems if there is no deterrent punishment [to such crime].”

هيطلع جيل مشوه نفسيا .. لو مكانش في عقاب رادع#الاعدام_للمدرس_المتحرش

— Merna Abdel Aziz (@abdel_merna) September 25, 2020

A woman tweeted: “We need to feel our children are safe when we send them to school.”

#الاعدام_للمدرس_المتحرش
عايزين نودي عيالنا المدارس بأمان

— sohirmohamed (@sohirmohamed12) September 25, 2020

Celebrities also used the hashtag, calling for capital punishment to the teacher, including Famous actress Rania Yousief who wrote: “Harassment will remain a crime, what is her fault this girl, she is not dressed sexy… an innocent girl in the face of a criminal who should be sentenced to death.”

" التحرش هيفضل جريمه، ذنبها ايه طفله لا لابسه لبس مثير زي ما بيبرر البعض التحرش طفله برئيه بتواجه مجرم لازم يتعدم"
😡😡😡😡😡#اعدام_المدرس_المتحرش

— Raniah Yousief (@RaniahYousief) September 25, 2020

Egypt’s Penal Code says “the accused shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of no less than six months and a fine of not less than three thousand pounds, and not exceeding five thousand pounds or one of these two penalties if harassed others in a public or private place or if involved by making sexual or pornographic suggestions whether by gesture, verbal, or action, by any means, including wired or wireless means of communication.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a period of no less than one year in prison and a fine of not less than five thousand pounds and not exceeding ten thousand pounds, and one of these two penalties if the act is repeated by the perpetrator through the prosecution and pursuit of the victim. In case the person repeated the crime, the imprisonment and fine penalties will be doubled.