Egypt’s Landmark Sexual Harassment Case

On Tuesday, a man was sentenced to three years in prison in the first sexual harassment case ever to be taken to court in Egypt. The Daily News Egypt reports that the ruling sets a new precedent that will serve to counter the troubling increased frequency of sexual assault incidents throughout Egypt.

In a statement, the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights applauded the ruling: “This sentence sends a message to all segments of Egyptian society that sexual harassment is a crime and will not be tolerated…the sentence will restore confidence in the legal system’s ability to defend women subjected to such crimes, in every step of the process — from filing police reports, to investigation, to sentencing. Women can now rest assured that their rights will be protected.”