23-year-woman, who bled to death after being gang-raped by five men in Giza, has triggered an outcry by women’s rights groups, Youm7 reported Sunday.
The woman was reportedly abducted and raped under a bridge in Giza’s district of Haram before the perpetrators were able to flee the scene.
Mervat el-Talawy, head of the National Council for Women (NCW,) called on the authorities to arrest the five perpetrators and apply the maximum penalty to them. According to the Egyptian Penal Code, rape is a crime punishable by death penalty.
Mona Omar, former secretary-general of NCW, called for a comprehensive campaign to counter drug abuse, which she said is behind many of rape incidents.
For her part, head of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights Nahed Aboul Qomsan requested the authorities to create a hotline for the Ministry of Interior’s department of combating gender-based violence.
In 2008, the Ministry of Interior said that 20,000 people are raped every year. However, many cases go unreported because of fear of social stigma. Also, the definition of rape in Egypt is not in line with the international law.
