An alarming case involving the sexual abuse of at least five kindergarten pupils at Seeds International School in Cairo has shaken Egypt. The four- and five-year-old boys and girls were allegedly sexually assaulted over a one-year span by at least three staff members and a security guard on the school’s premises.
The incident came to light when a mother found her son suffering from bowel incontinence. Upon her insistence to know the reason, she talked to her son for more than two hours until he finally revealed his nightmare. With uncontrollable tears and screams, he recounted that he, with other classmates, had been taken by a gatekeeper and a worker to secluded areas in the school where they were sexually assaulted. The boy told his mother the name of one of his female classmates that experienced the same agony. The mother reached out to the girl’s mother to warn her. At first, she was unbelieving, until her shaking daughter affirmed the story. The parents of both children filed a report with the General Prosecution.
Within hours, the news circulated widely through the school and among the parents who started asking their children to see if they were subjected to any kind of harassment.
The parents’ report was based on testimonies from other children who described repeated abuse occurring over the course of a year. As more families came forward with similar claims, the case grew into a public opinion outcry.
The children recounted that they were taken by the different abusers — at least four — to secluded areas in the school as they were waiting for their buses to go home. The offenders would put a tape on their mouth and a knife to their neck, threatening to kill their parents if they tell, and sexually assault them.
Investigations are ongoing for the possible reveal of more perpetrators and victims.
Parents mobilised protests and launched media campaigns, demanding accountability from both the school and the Ministry of Education. Amid the uproar, unverified online claims surfaced suggesting that the abuse may have been recorded and shared on the dark web. While these allegations remain unconfirmed, they fuelled public anger and intensified scrutiny of the story.
As an immediate response to the incident, Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif instructed that the school be placed under the ministry’s financial and administrative supervision, and the referral of any officials proven to be involved — through negligence or concealment — to the competent legal authorities.
As a further step, Abdel-Latif issued Decree 19 outlining mechanisms to safeguard students in private and international schools. The decree mandates schools to upgrade their surveillance camera systems, ensuring full coverage of classrooms and all areas within the premises. It also requires the assignment of multiple staff members to monitor the footage throughout the school day, with any violations immediately reported to the school principal.
Additionally, schools must conduct regular drug testing for all staff, including newly hired employees. No school will be granted a licence or renewal unless fully compliant with these regulations.
Also, the ministry will launch awareness campaigns and organise events inside schools to educate students about potential risks, with a special focus on the child’s personal space. According to the ministerial decree, it is prohibited for any maintenance personnel to be present inside the school during the school day.
No bus, whether belonging to the school or to a private company, may move without the presence of the bus supervisor from the school whose contract is approved by the educational administration.
All schools are obliged to have two female attendants assigned to every restroom before students arrive and to remain at least one hour after dismissal time. A period of two weeks is granted for all school employees to be approved by the educational administrations, with a copy of the criminal record (police clearance) attached for all employees.
The ministerial decree stipulated that supervision must be arranged so that the ratio of staff to students is not less than 1:6.
Head of the Central Administration for Monitoring and Performance Evaluation at the ministry Hesham Gaafar revealed that complaints of harassment in schools have increased, some of which he said are true while others are malicious. He noted that harassment complaints are given top priority in investigations, stressing that as soon as such complaints are received, a committee is formed immediately to investigate the incident. “The ministry receives harassment complaints, but only four per cent of them are true,” Gaafar said.
Meanwhile, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) has announced that it is moving to draft a legislative amendment to be submitted to parliament, with the aim of ensuring the application of the maximum penalty on anyone who commits, causes, or neglects an act that harms any child.
Sahar Al-Sonbati, head of the NCCM, held an emergency meeting to discuss urgent measures to protect children in the wake of the incident.
“We will work on expediting the completion of a standard child protection manual and training all those who work with children, to ensure the highest level of safety in educational institutions, and to establish clear and effective child protection policies in all facilities that deal with children, in cooperation with the relevant authorities,” she added.
A mother of a nine-year-old boy told Al-Ahram Weekly that schools are not as safe as they were in the past.
“I used to educate my child about such matters and always warned him about dealing with strangers, but I always had the feeling that he was not acquainted with what I am talking about. I accompanied him to an NGO that used to conduct awareness campaigns regarding similar topics. After attending the session my son became more aware of what I was talking about and had a better understanding regarding keeping his distance from strangers and to shout for help if he felt any inappropriate move towards him,” the mother said.
Psychologist Malak Hesham noted that awareness campaigns should be conducted not only for children but also for parents. “Children could be exposed to sexual assault not only from strangers but also from their relatives, sometimes fathers, uncles and older brothers. Until now there are no accurate studies revealing the percentage of sexual harassment against children in Egypt,” Hesham said.
Hesham added that, according to a Sohag University study, more than 20 per cent of children experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of eight. The majority of abusers are often non-relatives, with some studies indicating extra-familial assailants in over 87 per cent of cases. The most frequently reported types of abuse vary by study, but commonly include anal assault, especially in male cases, and non-contact forms of abuse such as inappropriate hugging or kissing.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 November, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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