The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives on Sunday approved draft law amending some provisions of the Penal Code promulgated by Law #58 of 1937 regarding molesting others and sexual harassment. The amendments introduced by the committee included two articles, namely “306 bis A” and “306 bis B” in the current Penal Code. Article 306 bis A, after its amendment, stipulates that:“A penalty of detention for a period not less than two years and not exceeding four years and a fine of not less than LE 100,000 and not exceeding LE 200,000 or either penalties shall be inflicted on whoever molests others in a manner offending modesty by words or deed or any other means including telecommunication, wireless, electronic, or other technical means, on a public road, public, private or frequented place. “If the felony recurs once again to committing a crime of the type prescribed in the previous clause, during stalking and tracking by the offender to the victim, the penalty shall be detention for not less than three years, and not exceeding five years, and a fine of not less than LE 200,000 and not exceeding LE 300,000 or either penalty. In case the felony committed again the minimum and maximum penalties of imprisonment and fine are doubled.”Article 306 bis B, after its amendment, stipulates that:“It is considered sexual harassment if the crime stipulated in Article 306 bis (A) of this law is committed with the intent of the offender to obtain a benefit of a sexual nature from the victim, and the offender shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of no less than five years and a fine of no less than LE 200,000 and not more than LE 300,000 or one of these two penalties.
