(Cairo, 9th of July 2020) Egypt’s Cabinet approved a draft law submitted by the Ministry of Justice for ‘The confidentiality of the victim’s data on sexual harassment and sexual assault crimes’.
The law is encouraging and motivating many women who are sexually harassed and who are not reporting because they fear that their data will be known to the perpetrator or the Press, which threatens their privacy and personal security, resulting in the perpetrator escapes punishment.
The approval of this law comes within the framework of the rapid response to the demand from the Egyptian Center of Women’s Rights (ECWR) and other women’s and human rights organizations for the importance of providing an appropriate environment for reporting such crimes and their social sensitivity. The need for data confidentiality and the provision of high-quality investigation places for girls and women in cases of sexual abuse in particular so that women can resist their fear and report if they are sexually abused
Nehad Abulkomsan, asserts that the speedy of issuing this law is a realization by the government of the importance of ensuring and protecting the privacy of victims and witnesses that provide information about violation. Moreover, it is an important development in removing all obstacles that confront women and girls in reporting their exposure to sexual abuse.
Abulkomsan gives advice to women and girls to go immediately to the Public Prosecution to report violations, and in the event of a desire for legal or psychological support, it is possible to contact with the National Council for Women (NCW), and can also contact with ECWR and its Lawyers team “Your Lawyer /Mo7amek“, which includes many lawyers who provide legal assistance to women.
