Egypt toughens sexual harassment laws, but activists say they fall short

Egypt made sexual harassment a crime and introduced penalties including prison terms and fines on Thursday, as the country attempts to control a rise in attacks on women.

The decree amended the country's current law, which did not criminalize sexual harassment and only vaguely referred to such offenses as indecent assault. It defines harassment as any sexual or pornographic suggestion or hints through words, signs or acts.

Adly Mansour, the outgoing president, approved a decree to make sexual harassment an offense punishable by up to five years' in jail, or fines of between $400 and $7,000.

A minimum two-year jail term was introduced for harassers who hold a position of power over their victim, is in uniform or is armed with a weapon. Penalties would double for repeat offenders.

Egypt has witnessed a jump in sexual assaults since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak from the presidency, with large numbers of mob attacks on women during political protests. 

A 2013 study by the U.N. said that 99.3 percent of women in Egypt had been subjected to abuse. Campaigners, such as human rights lawyer Ragia Omran, have called for the government to do more to stop the abuse.

Initiatives to counter harassment have also multiplied. Volunteer groups started escorting women, especially during political gatherings. Activists offered self-defense classes for women and social networking sites launched "name and shame" campaigns against alleged attackers. 

One campaigner received the latest news with skepticism. 

Fathi Farid, a founder of the "I Saw Harassment" campaign that documents sexual harassment of women, said the penalties were of "no value," because they gave the judge the right to choose between a fine or jail. 

He also said the penalties were "not enough for cases involving sexual assaults by mobs."

Al Jazeera and wire services