Egypt's government is studying the possibility of amending the penal code to deal with increasing rates of sexual harassment. A statement issued by the Cabinet of Ministers said some acts that should be punishable by law have not yet been incorporated into the penal code. At a meeting on Sunday the cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, discussed the imposition of stricter penalties and the addition of a new article to the penal code to prevent judges from reducing sentences in cases of sexual harassment and rape. Imposing harsher punishments has the effect of deterrence, Suheir Abdel Monem, professor of criminal law at the National Center for Social and Criminal Research, told Al-Masry Al-Youm. Abdel Monem added that sexual harassment in Egypt is not so widespread as to be labeled a "phenomenon," but said there was a need to address those behaviors which are new to Egyptian society. "Harsher punishments should be imposed as a final resort," she said. Several rights organizations have recently called for the issue of harassment to be addressed, saying that Egyptian and foreign women complain about being subjected to harassment in public places on an almost daily basis. More than 95 percent of Egyptian and foreign women say they were either verbally or physically harassed on the streets and at workplaces. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
