Alleged sexual offenders face social media barrage in Egypt
Despite rising online calls for sexual offenders to be held accountable for their crimes and a new amendment to the anti-sexual harassment law guaranteeing confidentiality of survivors, many women in Egypt are still reluctant to report sexual harassment incidents for fear of being stigmatized.
The Me Too movement has taken Egypt by storm with an increasing number of women joining on social media in recent weeks to name men they claim have sexually assaulted or harassed them. Emboldened by the July 4 arrest and detention of Ahmed Bassam Zaki — a university student accused of sexual assault and harassment of dozens of women — other women have stepped up their accusations against other alleged sexual offenders in the hope that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
The online anti-sexual harassment campaign has attracted the media's attention, piling pressure on the authorities to take action to stem the tide of sexual harassment, widespread in Egypt.
