Egyptian lawmaker Amin Masoud announced on Wednesday that he will submit a draft bill proposing harsher prison sentences for child molesters.

Masoud’s announcement comes as the Egyptian prosecution ordered on Wednesday the detention of a 37-year-old man over charges of molesting and kidnapping a child in the Cairo suburb of Maadi earlier this week, a case that triggered widespread public and official outcries.

Masoud revealed that the new draft law stipulates amending Article 306 of the penal code to mandate a 10-year jail sentence for child molestation if victims are under the age of 12.

The maximum penalty now for molestation of persons under the age of 12 years is seven years in prison.

The MP also highlighted efforts exerted by Egypt in the field of child protection, calling for the strict implementation of existing, clear, and decisive articles on the protection of children in the country's constitution.

Egypt was at the forefront of countries that ratified the UN’s Convention on children’s rights, he stressed.

The lawmaker said that the proposal aims to address all incidents — similar to the infamous case in Maadi — which cause physical and psychological harm to underage victims.