Egypt 's outgoing interim president issued a decree criminalizing sexual harassment to combat the widespread abuse of women in the country , a spokesman said Friday . President Adly Mansour issued the country 's first law that explicitly uses the term `` sexual harassment , '' a statement from his office reads . The law makes the offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds . The decree starts with a baseline prohibition , making it illegal to accost people by `` implying sexual or obscene gestures '' in any manner , `` including modern means of communication . '' Absent any aggravating factor , the crime is punishable by at least six months of detention . If the harassment is made with `` the intent of receiving sexual gratification from the victim , '' the minimum detention rises to one year . And if the offender holds `` a position of authority over the victim , '' whether social or professional , the minimum imprisonment is two years , the law reads . A 2013 United Nations report entitled `` Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women '' found that 99.3 % of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment . Fathi Farid , a founder of Egypt 's `` I Saw Harassment '' campaign against sexual violence , said the law `` is a first step in the right direction , but we believe that a revision is needed to strengthen the decree . '' Farid cited a lack of protection for eyewitnesses , judicial discretion in issuing punishment , and inadequate protection against gang assaults as points of weakness for the law . Still , Farid said the law `` will give women greater trust in the government and encourage victims that may have been afraid in the past to file complaints to the police against perpetrators . '' He added that it will take time to assess whether the law will actually be applied by authorities . Former Egyptian military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is due to succeed Mansour after winning last month 's presidential election . Mansour was declared the acting president after the ouster of Mohamed Morsy last July .
Law makes it illegal to accost people by `` implying sexual or obscene gestures '' Minimum detention ranges from 6 months to 2 years , depending on aggravating factors . Comment: Anti-harassment campaigner : Law is a `` first step in the right direction ''