Sexual harassment, torture, abuse of human dignity and violation of the right to physical integrity

Cairo, 12^th June 2014

Sexual harassment, torture, abuse of human dignity and violation of the right to physical integrity

The Arab Center for Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) expresses its absolute condemnation and rejection over the heinous crimes that affect the human dignity and violate the right to physical integrity at the same time - whatever the victims and whoever involved in the commission - particularly the crime of sexual harassment  and the crime of torture which refer explicitly to the fact that penal and procedural legislation, and accountability mechanisms, in addition to the awareness social and educational and economic measures and procedures that has not been taken till now, which may be the  most important reasons for the high incidence of these crimes, which violates fundamental human rights, and represent an offense to human dignity and a violation of the right to physical safety.

The ACIJLP believes the consensus in the political and the community will witnessed in the Arab Republic of Egypt at this time towards the rejection and condemnation of the crime of sexual harassment is a good step. In addition to, taking steps on the legislative side on the criminalization of sexual harassment and punishing those involved in committing these crimes. However, the ACIJLP believes that the crime of torture is not less brunt or dangerous than the crime of sexual harassment in terms of violating human dignity and the right to physical integrity, which is still being committed and the perpetrators are still immune from prosecution and accountability and punishment.

The ACIJLP points out that although it appreciates the formal and community position towards the crime of sexual harassment, but the center hopes that the crime of torture which reject and condemn those involved in committing it, prosecution and accountability and judicial punishment as well as reducing the impunity of the perpetrators of the crime of torture.

In this context, the ACIJLP calls upon the Egyptian authorities and political leadership to use the constitutional powers, and speed up the administrative, legislative and judicial procedures for the harmonization of Egyptian legislation, especially the Egyptian penal and criminal proceedings codes along with the International commitments of Egypt, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was ratified by Egypt on January 14, 1982, as well as the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and ratified by Egypt in April 1986 and published in the Official Gazette on January 7, 1988, as well as the ratification of the protocols thereto.

The ACIJLP also calls upon the civil society organizations, as well as media organizations, to disseminate and raise public awareness that the crime of torture is outrageous crime that offend human dignity and violate the right to physical integrity and it must be rejected by society, in the same way as a crime of sexual harassment.