The interior ministry has set a plan to "secure" Easter celebrations on Monday, May 8th, which includes the use of "secret police" to arrest those who commit sexual harassment, Maj. General Amgad Shafei told Aswat Masriya.
Shafei added that large numbers of "secret police" and officers dressed in plainclothes will be deployed in places with large gatherings, such as public gardens, to arrest those who sexually harass or do anything "against the law".
According to a UN women 2013 statistic, 99 per cent of Egyptian women are exposed to sexual harassment. The National Council for Women's Rights said in Nov 2012 that more than 70 per cent of Egyptian women fall victim to sexual harassment in public spaces and transportation.
Egyptian law stipulates that sexual harassment is a crime, as per articles 306 (a) and 306 (b) of the Penal Code. According to this law, verbal, behavioral, phone and online sexual harassment can lead to a prison sentence of 6 months – 5 years, and up to LE50,000 in fines, as groups such as HarassMap, which work to raise awareness on sexual harassment point out.
The law was amended as such by an executive order in June 2014 during interim president Adly Mansour's time in office.
The UN commended the new law at the time and called on Egyptian authorities to ensure its enforcement for the protection of women and girls.
