MP Zeinab Salem for Sharqiya Government is considering doubling the punishment of harassment in a bill that willbe discussed soon by the parliament to reach castration, she said in a statement to Youm7.
"The situation has become ridiculous and there is little deterrence," Salem told Youm7.
If the harasser commits the crime more than once, his punishment may be castration, she added.
The Legislative Committee approved a bill submitted by MP Suzy Nashed on doubling the punishment against harassment. The bill is yet to be discussed in a general assembly but has been postponed due to the recent attacks against churches which required the parliament to focus on bills related to terrorism.
The parliament has finally approved tightening the Criminal Procedure Law over raping children to a minimum of three years in prison and a fine not less than LE 50,000.
The amendment guarantees this outcome if the victim has not reached 18 years of age or if the defendant is among those mentioned in the second article of article No. 267, including: those who have authority over the victim either at work, family or school; or if there was pressure exerted on the victim; or if the crime was committed by two persons or more; or if one of them possessed a weapon; in any of those cases, the penalty should be between three to seven years in prison and the fine between LE50,000 to LE100,000.
The law states that it is considered sexual harassment if the crime mentioned proves that the defendant seeks sexual interest from the victim, as in that case, the defendant should be sentenced to no more than three years in prison and fined between LE20,000 to LE50,000.
The old sexual harrasment law, which was issued in 2014 during Adly Masnsour's era, stated a minimum sentence of 6-months imprisonment and a fine of LE 3,000 for an offense.
