Are Egypt's students no longer safe in their own schools?
News that children have been victims of sexual assault at their own schools in Egypt has prompted civil society groups, activists and parents to look for effective ways to protect children from harassment.
"My three-year-old son was sexually assaulted by the security guard at his school," a mother posted on Facebook April 12 as a cry for help, only to discover that the same security guard had molested five children inside the school. After the Ministry of Education conducted an investigation, the security guard was fired and school officials were referred to the Legal Affairs Department.
Meanwhile, the case as a whole was referred to the General Prosecution of Nasr City, a district of Cairo, which ordered the imprisonment of the security guard, summoned school officials for questioning and requested a forensic examination for the child to confirm he was subjected to sexual assault.
The child's mother told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that school officials tried to cover up the incident at first, but as a result of the escalating media coverage, they took the initiative to question the truth behind it after the school was called upon to undergo strict security procedures to prevent security guards from entering the school buildings.
The school in question issued a statement on its Facebook page April 14 noting that the claims had yet to be proven and were still under investigation.
