The National Coalition for the Rights of the Egyptian Child expressed, on Friday deep concern about cases of child abduction in Egypt, adding that the issue could turn into a phenomenon in Egyptian society.
Doaa Abbas, secretary-general of the coalition, said the kidnapping rates increased significantly after the 25 January revolution due to lawlessness and chaos.
The coalition followed up cases of child abduction closely, and the perpetrator in many cases turned out to be close to the children, whether relatives or acquaintances or others who deal with them and the child puts his trust in them, said Abbas.
Abbas added that the coalition received in the recent period complaints from families in different regions in Egypt, especially in Upper Egypt, about the abduction of or assault on their children.
She urged Egypt to apply the maximum penalty on perpetrators and called on the Interior Ministry to develop an urgent plan for the rescue of kidnapped children and catching perpetrators.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
