Egypt charges suspects for ‘selling children’ online

Egyptian prosecutors have referred suspects accused of “selling” children online to the criminal court, the state-run National Council for Childhood and Motherhood said yesterday.

According to state TV, the council’s Secretary-General, Azza El-Ashmawy, said in a statement that the prosecutor general has referred them to court on child-trafficking charges.

“This is the first time that online child trafficking has been prosecuted,” El-Ashmawy said.

In February the child hotline run by the council learnt about a website that sells children in Egypt. The website displayed children for sale and received purchase requests from families inside and outside the country.

It filed a case against the site with the prosecutor general’s office. The suspects were arrested at the end of February, she added.

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Last January, the Egyptian parliament passed a legislative amendment stipulating stricter penalties for child abduction. Penalties now range from ten to 20 years for abductors, with the death sentence stipulated when the kidnapped children are also subjected to rape or sexual abuse.

Prior to the amendment, a life sentence (25 years) was the maximum penalty in child abduction cases.

The legislative amendment came after a significant rise in reported child abduction cases in Egypt.