Cook at Cairo orphanage arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting 2 underage girls
Amr Mohamed Kandil, Sunday 30 Aug 2020
The two orphans told the prosecution that the defendant offered them money in exchange for remaining silent, and that they were scared to resist his assaults


An employee at a Cairo orphanage has been arrested over allegations that he sexually assaulted two girls aged 11 and 14, the Egyptian Public Prosecution said in a statement on Saturday.

The suspect, who works as a cook at an orphanage for girls in Old Cairo, has been accused by the two girls of repeatedly sexually assaulting them.

The two orphans told the prosecution that the defendant offered them money in exchange for remaining silent, and that they were scared to resist his assaults.

The alleged assaults came to light after the two girls told other children in the orphanage about the incidents, who in turn told supervisors. Also, two social workers at the orphanage said they were told about the incidents by the two victims.

Six of the girls at the orphanage told the prosecution that one of them shared the story on social media in 27 August.

The cook has denied the allegations, saying that he merely hugged the two girls and kissed them on the head with good intentions, the prosecution’s statement read.

The two girls will undergo forensic medical examinations, the prosecution said.

The prosecution also said that according to witnesses at the orphanage, the cook was fired and the police were called after two of the institution’s administrators were informed about the incident.

A popular Facebook page named ‘Women Revolution’ has posted a photo of the defendant, who appears to be in his fifties. The page alleges that the man raped the 11-year-old girl and tried to silence her by offering EGP 5 (less than $0.5). The page made no mention of the other alleged victim.

Egypt has recently been cracking down on sex crimes, arresting several suspects accused on social media of being sexual predators, one of the most recent being alleged serial rapist Ahmed Bassam Zaki.

In July, Egypt’s cabinet approved a bill proposed by the justice ministry to keep the identity of sex crime victims confidential. According to the law, the identities of the victims of sexual crimes are not to be publicly disclosed, and can only be revealed to the court and to defendants upon request.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/378910.aspx