Egypt on Sunday approved a new law to protect the identity of women who come forward to report sexual harassment or assault to encourage women and girls to report cases of sexual violence.
The law, which will give victims the automatic right to anonymity, comes as hundreds of women have started to speak up on social media about sexual assault in a #MeToo movement in Egypt where women have long felt disadvantaged.
The new law was a step in a long road of issuing regulations that preserve women’s rights, Female parliamentarian Ghada Ghareeb said.
“The government had noticed that there was a sharp decline in women being able to report cases of sexual assault they have been subjected to because they fear of social stigma,” Ghareeb said.
The law would increase reporting of sexual assaults in the next months in the country with conservative social values, she added.
Last July, the bill was approved by the Cabinet and submitted to parliament after being presented by the justice ministry.
It followed a widely-published case in July of a university student from a wealthy background who was arrested and accused of raping and blackmailing multiple women. Investigations are continuing.
The case triggered a #MeToo wave in Egypt with the National Council for Women saying it received 400 complaints, mainly about violence against women within five days of the case being made public and hundreds of women started to share stories online.
The debate escalated further after an Instagram page revealed a gang rape case in a Cairo hotel, with the six men involved believed to be from powerful, rich families.
