19-year-old jumps three stories to escape rape

Daily News Egypt
2 Min Read

A 19-year-old girl in Cairo jumped from the third-story of a building to escape three men who were attempting to rape her.

The three unemployed men kidnapped the girl from inside a tuk-tuk, a three-wheeled vehicle commonly used as taxis in underprivileged neighbourhoods, according to state-run Al-Ahram.

The perpetrators took her to an abandoned, under-construction building in Boulaq El-Dakrour, an informal Cairo neighbourhood. She succeeded in escaping by jumping from the building, but sustained a number of fractures, and was hospitalised for treatment.

Only one of the three suspects has been arrested. A search squad is looking for the remaining suspects.

Fathy Farid, coordinator of anti-sexual harassment group I Saw Harassment (Shoft Taharosh), said the incident was an indicator that the police have failed to create security for Egyptians.

Whether or not rape crimes are reported varies from incident to the other, Farid said, but there is no standardised reporting mechanism so the classifications of the crime and charges perpetrators face vary from one case to another.

In February in Port Said, in a high-profile case that caused public outcry, two minors were sentenced to 15 years in prison for murdering 5-year-old Zeina Arafa, who they threw off the roof of a building. They had taken her to the roof with the intent of sexually assaulting her, but they threw her when she screamed.

Last month, a 62-year old restaurant owner in Zagazig was sentenced to death for the murder and rape of his seven-year-old neighbour.

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