The East Cairo Prosecution referred on Saturday two young men to urgent trial on Sunday over charges of sexually harassing two girls in Heliopolis last week.
A traffic officer, aided by civilians, had reportedly apprehended the pair after sexually and verbally harassing the two girls who called for help.
The two boys denied the charges during interrogations.
Incident comes amid a fresh public uproar over sexual harassment which flared after a woman was brutally sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square during celebrations of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s inauguration. A YouTube video depicting the attack went viral the following day, showing a police officer attempting to help the naked and injured woman escape the mob. Six are expecting trial over the attack.
Last week, the United Nation’s office in Cairo expressed “deep concern” over the prevalence of incidents of sexual harassment.
“The UN calls upon authorities, civil society and stakeholders to join forces and take a firm stand against all forms of gender-based violence in Egypt. The United Nations also encourages all measures to be taken by the Egyptian authorities to ensure the enforcement of the newly adopted anti-sexual harassment law and that perpetrators of crimes, such as the ones taking place in Tahrir Square, are held accountable,” read the statement.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
