Egyptian Man Gets Hard Labor for Groping

Landmark case eggs Cairo women to report rampant teasing
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2008 10:17 AM CST
Egyptian Man Gets Hard Labor for Groping
Egyptian women rarely report harassment to the police.   (AP Photo/Mohamed al Sehety)

Women face rampant harassment on Cairo's streets—83% of Egyptians and 98% of foreigners say they've been groped, hassled, or assaulted—but the 3% who go to the cops are usually met with indifference. A landmark case in which a man got 3 years of hard labor for reaching out of his truck window and groping a woman's breast may reflect new attitudes, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The truck driver was arrested after the woman, a documentary maker, jumped on his truck, which was then surrounded by neighbors. The crowd offered to beat the man, but the filmmaker opted for the courts. Since the case went public, police have arrested hundreds of accused harassers, and activists say complaints have soared since the verdict.
(More Muslim women stories.)

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