Report: Egypt security forces use ‘sexual violence’ to stop protests

Cases of sexual violence at the hands of the Egyptian security forces have increased and become more violent since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, human rights organisation revealed yesterday.

A report issued by the International federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which represents 178 human rights organisations across the globe, revealed that men, women and children are exposed to sexual harm in order to “get rid of protests”. The report stressed that “sexual violence” has remarkably increased since the military coup in 2013.

It added that abuses included rape, sexual assault, rape with objects, electrocution of genitalia, sex-based defamation and blackmail.

“The scale of sexual violence occurring during arrests and in detention, the similarities in the methods used and the general impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators point to a cynical political strategy aimed at stifling civil society and silencing all opposition,” said Karim Lahidji, FIDH president.

The group said the report reveals the involvement of police, national security intelligence officers and the military in the use of sexual violence, and was based on interviews with victims, lawyers and members of human rights NGOs.

“We were attacked in a raid led by the chief of the Alexandria Criminal Intelligence (Mabahith) … They made us kneel down with our hands behind our heads,” said K, an activist from an Egyptian human rights NGO.

“Then they took the young women to one side and frisked us with our faces towards the wall, sexually harassing us and insulting us. I tried to remove the hand of one of the Central Security soldiers from my trousers, so then they beat me with their weapons until I could no longer resist.”