Minister of Tourism Hesham Zazou has mandated that hotels are to hire female staff only for women's health clubs.
If a health club violates this new resolution, or if a female tourist is harassed there, the club will be shutdown. If the violation recurs, the health club's permit will be irreversibly revoked and the hotel’s star rating will be downgraded.
The minister said that his decision will help prevent sexual harassment, a crime that tarnishes the reputation of the Egyptian tourism industry. He added that the ministry, in cooperation with the appropriate authorities, will withhold no effort to eradicate this scourge.
In related news, the minister has approved plans allowing hotels and the tourism sector to coordinate with the Hotels Chamber to oversee police training regarding the appropriate response to reports of sexual harassment.
83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of female tourists experience one or more types of sexual harassment in Egypt, according to a 2008 study published by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights.
Edited translation from MENA
