Will Egypt's parliament toughen punishment for rape?
Egypt's parliament will soon vote on a bill that would allow the death penalty for rape.
Many Egyptians are hoping that a new bill, set to come before parliament in two months, will put a stop to a surge in rapes throughout the country. The bill, prepared by the National Council for Women (NCW), a state-run agency that seeks to defend women's rights, would authorize the death penalty for rapists — a first in Egypt. The bill is seen as an attempt by Egyptian authorities to demonstrate their seriousness in criminalizing violence against women and putting an end to rape.
"The bill toughens penalties with the only aim of deterring rapists and preventing this crime from happening," Sanaa Khalil, a senior member of NCW's Legislative Committee, told Al-Monitor. "Rapes have reached alarming levels in this country."
According to the bill proposed by Khalil and his colleagues, if the rape victim is under 18 or has a mental or psychological disorder, the rapist will be sentenced to death. However, if the rape victim is over 18, the rapist will be sentenced to death or life in prison, depending on the court's judgment.
Egypt ranked the worst among Arab countries for women's rights, according to a 2013 poll conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Furthermore, a staggering 99.3% of Egyptian women have been exposed to some form of sexual harassment, according to a 2013 survey by UN Women.
