Egypt's prosecutors are investigating a man they accused of attempting to sexually assault two women and a girl under the age of 18, and of blackmailing others for sex.
The office of chief prosecutor Hamada Al Sawy said the man, a former student, will be held for 15 days pending the completion of the investigation.
The statement said the man admitted to meeting six women and keeping photos of a sexual nature that he claimed they gave him.
It did not say if he denied the assault and blackmail allegations.
The case led to an uproar among women's rights activists in Egypt given the country's record for harassment of women despite government efforts to combat abuse.
With sufficient evidence, the next step would be to formally charge the man and refer him for trial. If convicted, the man, in his early 20s, could face life in prison.
The suspect was enrolled at the American University in Cairo (AUC) before he moved to Barcelona to study. However, he was suspended from the Spanish university and expelled following the allegations, according to his father.
The suspect was detained in Cairo on Saturday.
Women's rights groups said the infrequency of court cases against offenders was chiefly the outcome of acquiescence whereby many Egyptians – men and women – explained such crimes away as the result of women's provocative attire or economic hardship.
Egypt's street harassers are often in their early teens. Some are as young as 9 or 10.
Women following Islam's conservative dress code – which demands that everything except the eyes be covered – have suffered sexual harassment on the streets.
The case also turned the spotlight on a patriarchal society in which women's rights were dismissed or held to be inferior to those of men.
Campaigners and social media users have vilified families and educational institutions for counselling their members not to go public with their experiences of sexual harassment or assault on the grounds that shame or disrepute would follow.
In recent years, the government has increased penalties for those convicted of rape or harassment, but the problem persists, prompting calls for effective societal reform.
Significantly, the country's highest Islamic authorities – Al Azhar Mosque and the mufti – weighed in on the debate surrounding the case.
Both rejected a commonly held view that attire was to blame for the harassment or assaults women suffered and they called on authorities to deal firmly with perpetrators. They described the attire argument as malicious and delusional.
According to a statement from the public prosecutor's office, a woman who filed a complaint against the former AUC student provided prosecutors with copies of WhatsApp messages she said showed how he tried to blackmail her into having sex with him.
The statement said the messages showed that he threatened to tell the woman's family that she was involved in prostitution and drugs unless she agreed.
The woman, who was not identified, rejected his threats.
The statement said prosecutors questioned four other women and an underage girl who met the accused on social media between 2016 and this year. It said the five women fought off the man's sexual assaults at his residence in a Cairo compound. He later threatened to publicise compromising photos if they did not have sex with him.
It said the suspect admitted meeting six women on social media and that he kept compromising photos that he alleged they sent to him. He threatened to send the images to the women's families when they ended their relationships with him, prosecutors said.
"The prosecution would like to emphasise its resolve to combat this crime and its rejection of putting the blame on the victims for contributing to what happened to them or to justify the crime in any way," the prosecutor's office said.
It urged victims of sexual harassment to file complaints directly to prosecutors and security agencies instead of sharing their experiences on social media.
"The prosecution urges people to report whatever they find untoward, their complaints and any supporting evidence to the guardians of justice in this country ... rather than share them with those who are ignorant and not specialists."
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
