CAIRO
The United Nations (U.N.) said Wednesday that it was alarmed by reports of male harassment of a female student at Cairo University last Sunday.
"This incident is unprecedented and is the first reported case of a mob attack inside an educational institution," the U.N. office in Cairo said in a statement.
It said harassment is a human rights violation and a threat to the safety and freedom of women and girls and prevents their full engagement in public life.
The U.N. said that women and girls "have the right to live a life free from all forms of violence in accordance with Egypt’s Constitution (articles: 11, 19) and the commitments made by the government of Egypt to U.N. international conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women".
It called on Egyptian authorities to increase preventive measures to ensure women and girls’ safety in public and private spheres in place and to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.
Cairo University President Gaber Nassar criticized the harassment of the female student earlier, calling for inflicting punishment on male students involved in the incident.
By Hagar al-Dosoki
englishnews@aa.com.tr
