Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly approved draft amendments outlining various degrees of penalty and jail terms to criminalise bullying for the first time in Egypt’s history, according to a conference call held Wednesday. In the conference call, the Cabinet agreed on a legislative project of modifying the penalty laws as well as introducing article 309b, which outlines an updated definition for bullying. In addition to describing bullying as transgression committed on the grounds of race, gender, religion, physical attributes, and health and mental status, the new article defines the act as “a show of force or control by the offender, or the abuse of a vulnerable victim.” The draft amendment outlined a minimum prison term of six months and/or a penalty of EGP 10,000 to 30,000. The law also stipulates that should the offence be committed by a group, or if the offender is related to the victim in any way, penalties may increase from EGP 20,000 to EGP 100,000 and/or a minimum prison sentence of one year. This amendment comes in light of data and incidents highlighting the issue of bullying in Egypt. When a young girl in Damietta was…
