Egypt brings in new sexual harassment laws

Egypt has introduced new punishments for sexual harassment in an effort to crack down on the worsening problem.

In a decree issued by outgoing interim president Adly Mansour, sexual harassment is now a crime punishable by up to five years in jail.As well as jail terms, offenders face fines of up to 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($714; £415).

Under the new laws, harassers face from six months to five years in prison. The longer sentences are reserved for offenders who hold a position of power over their victims such as being a woman's superior at work or being armed with a weapon

Until now, Egypt has not had a law defining sexual harassment.The decree defines a sexual harasser as a person seeking to achieve "an interest of a sexual nature".

Note

According to the UN, 9 out of 10 Egyptian women experience some form of sexual harassment during her lifetime, ranging from minor assaults to rape.

Egypt is now the worst country for women's rights in the Arab world, according to a poll of gender experts.

Iraq ranked second-worst after Egypt, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen

The poll asked experts to assess factors such as violence against women, reproductive rights, treatment of women within the family and women's role in politics and the economy.

Discriminatory laws and a spike in trafficking contributed to Egypt's place at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states