Students in Egypt still face sexual assault despite legal efforts

In Egypt, students — particularly young girls — continue to face sexual assault and harassment within schools, despite legal reforms and public outcry, according to a report by WorldCrunch.

In 2020, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld a ruling to dismiss a teacher found guilty of harassing 120 students in Alexandria. The court recognized sexual harassment in schools as a "widespread phenomenon" and criticized certain state agencies for failing to address "teachers harassing young girls at the start of their educational journey."

A 2021 poll by the Tadween Center for Gender Studies, revealed that 23% of women surveyed had experienced harassment in educational settings. Court records from 2020 to 2024 document numerous cases of teachers and staff convicted of sexually assaulting students — a pattern attributed to school administrations' failure to ensure safety or hold perpetrators accountable.

Attempts to improve school security date back to 2017 when lawmakers drafted a bill regulating surveillance cameras in educational institutions. Yet, the law remains stalled. In September 2023, the Ministry of Education urged schools to install cameras to prevent theft and vandalism, but student protection was notably absent from the directive.

A 2021 legal amendment classified harassment by those in academic authority as a criminal offense, punishable by five to seven years in prison. Still, without proactive measures to prevent abuse, Egyptian students remain at risk in their own classrooms.

In January 2024, a teacher in Assiut was accused of harassing 10 students aged 9 to 11. Soon after, an urgent investigation was launched into another harassment case at a nearby school.