Guidance

Egypt: information for victims of rape and sexual assault

Updated 23 September 2022

If you’ve been sexually assaulted it’s important to remember that it was not your fault. Rape and sexual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.

This information is provided to help British nationals overseas make informed decisions about whether and how to:

• seek medical advice and attention
• report to local police
• engage with foreign legal authorities following a rape or other form of sexual assault overseas

For information on support available in the UK, see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK.

1. First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you come to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• contact the police by dialling 122 or go to the nearest police station
• contact your tour operator if you are travelling with one
• contact the British Embassy in Cairo: Phone: + 2 (02) 2791 6000

Embassy staff will be empathetic, non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell them will be treated in the strictest confidence. They can contact your family or friends for you if you wish.

2. If you want to report the incident to the police in Egypt

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible so forensic evidence is not lost. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing at the time of the crime to the police. You should try to preserve evidence by retaining items such as combs, toothbrushes, text messaged or any other evidence that might be helpful.

Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

You can approach the police directly either through the emergency telephone number 112, or in person at a police station. You can also ask them to inform the British Embassy on +2 02 27916000 and we will provide you with consular support.

If you have a tour operator, they might be able to arrange for someone to support you or you may go with a friend or relative to the police station. If you do not have a tour operator, you can contact the British Embassy on + 2 (02) 2791 6000. They will try to arrange for a consular officer to accompany you to the police station, if practically possible.

When you report the incident, the police will interview you about what happened and take a statement. Unfortunately, there are very few female police officers in Egypt, but you can ask for one. If there is a female police officer at the station, you might have to wait until she is available. You might not be given somewhere private to wait.

Very few police officers speak fluent English. The police will usually allocate an interpreter for you if you do not speak Arabic, but you will have to wait for one to be made available. Otherwise, you can appoint your own. See list of interpreters.

Due to a lack of female representation and language barriers, the situation might not always be handled in a sensitive manner. Consular staff will try to be there to support you if you wish.

Although, police reports are not usually handed to the victim directly, the police should give you a reference number to follow up on the case at court. Reports in Egypt are normally made in Arabic.

You do not have to surrender your passport whilst an investigation is carried out. Police may take a copy of the passport to record your identification information.

You will have to make a statement about the incident including a description of the attacker.

The police may keep any clothes or electronic equipment which may be evidence of your attack to present to a forensic examiner.

The police may send you, or accompany you to the nearest local hospital for a forensic examination. There are usually hospitals in every major city.

3. If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Egypt

It is your choice on whether to report the crime, but if you do not report it, your case may not be investigated as there will be lack of forensic evidence.

The British Embassy will be able to help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company, your family, making arrangements to travel back to the UK and/or provide you with information on local support in the UK.

See list of English-speaking lawyers and medical facilities in Egypt.

If you wish to speak to a female, we can have one of our consular officers available to speak to you.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you can report the incident to them and ask for assistance. Where possible and if you wish, the tour operator may accompany you to the local hospital.

4. If you want to report the incident to the police in the UK

The support available to you and your access to justice may vary according to where you report the crime. In many countries, you need to report the crime before you leave the country if you want it to be investigated and for the police to obtain important evidence.

If you are staying in Egypt where the crime took place, you should report the crime in Egypt. If you are a British national and you need help to report the crime, you can contact the British Embassy in Cairo, or the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London.

If you do not report the crime in Egypt where it happened and you return to the UK, you can still report the matter to your local UK police.

The UK police should send the information you provide to Egypt where the crime happened. However, it is for the Egyptian police to decide whether to investigate the crime in their jurisdiction and they may not take action.

You can report the crime to the UK police even if you are not seeking an investigation in Egypt. The UK police can offer you access to victim support in the UK. They may still send some details of the crime to police in Egypt where it happened. This might be necessary in order to protect vulnerable people, or to stop more crimes being committed. See our guidance for victims of crime.

The FCDO provides more information for British nationals who have been affected by rape or sexual assault abroad, and how to access medical attention and legal advice when returning to the UK.

5. Reporting the crime in Egypt - what happens next?

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence.

If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts and social media messages.

There is no deadline for filing the report but the sooner you do so, the greater the chances of obtaining the necessary evidence and it going to trial. Once a report is made, you will be asked to sign it.

You will be expected to give an account of what happened in detail and possibly, you will be asked to identify the perpetrator. Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

The types of questions that you will be asked include the identity of the assailant, a description of what happened, where and when the incident took place.

You will be asked to read your statement, or the interpreter will read it to you, to check the information is correct and then you will have to sign it. Your report will then be sent to the Prosecutor to review.

The police will usually keep any clothes you were wearing and hand them to the prosecutor in a sealed plastic bag. These clothes are usually sent to a forensic examiner to be used as evidence in court. It is unlikely your clothes will be returned to you. The police will not provide a change of clothing if you are wearing clothes you were assaulted in, so do take some clothes with you if you can.

You will be asked to have a medical examination, referred to as a forensic examination, at a local government hospital. The results of the examination will be recorded and the purpose for this is to obtain evidence to support your case such as bruising, scratches and any other form of injury. An officer will accompany you to the forensic examination and will take a copy of the official report, which will be passed to the prosecutor. Based on the findings, the Prosecutor may request further forensic examination. Your lawyer can ask for a copy of the police report and case number.

The Egyptian police will not inform the UK police.

The Egyptian police will not ask UK to undertake police checks on the victim.

6. The medical examination – what to expect

A medical examination is usually free of charge if ordered by the police. This has to be conducted in a government hospital. If you decide you want a medical examination in a private hospital instead, the private hospital will not be able to assist with providing evidence for a prosecution, as only a government hospital can do this.

Wherever possible a member of the consular team will accompany you to the hospital, if you wish. Some hospital staff do speak English, but many do not and the situation might not be handled as sensitively as you might expect.

Following a report of a rape/assault, a forensic doctor is appointed by the prosecutor to carry out an examination with the assistance of a nurse. Nurses are predominantly female in Egypt. The forensic examination will involve an internal examination to obtain evidence of a sexual act and a full external examination to obtain evidence of any force and/or violence. It may also be necessary to undertake swabs and DNA tests.

The timescales for obtaining forensic evidence vary depending on the type of assault. For mouth or digital penetration, the forensic time scale is usually two days. For anal penetration three days is usually the maximum. For vaginal penetration, the time scale is up to seven days. However, the sooner an examination is carried out, the stronger the forensic evidence will be.

The forensic report will not be given to you. It will be sent to the prosecutor. Your appointed lawyer will be able to request a copy of the report and share it with you.

STI tests, including HIV tests are not performed as a routine part of the procedure, but you can ask that these tests be carried out. Results are usually available within approximately three days, based on the test type.

If the results show that you have been exposed to any sexually transmitted diseases, you may require treatment. You will have to pay for any prescription medication, but you can claim expenses back from your travel insurance.

Emergency contraception should be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. In Egypt, you can obtain emergency contraception with the help of a doctor or a hospital. You will need to pay for this but can claim expenses back from your travel insurance. If you have trouble accessing emergency contraception, contact the Embassy.

HIV post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) which is a treatment that can prevent HIV infection should be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. If not taken, the NHS may be able to start or continue a 28-day treatment on return to the UK. If you want to take this medication straight away, you will need to visit a private clinic and pay for the treatment yourself. See our list of medical facilities and doctors.

If medication is prescribed in Egypt, you should keep a note of it so that you can share this with your doctor in the UK.

If you do not report the incident to the police and wish for a private examination, you can go to a private hospital but you will be expected to pay.

7. Prosecution and Court procedures- what to expect

The Prosecutor leads the investigation stage. The prosecutor then passes all information to the court.

If you are a non-Arabic speaker, you are expected to appoint an interpreter, and you will have to pay for this yourself. However, in some circumstances we have known the courts to provide an interpreter. In some tourist resorts, the tour operators usually help.

If your case is referred for further investigation, you may be required to give an additional statement when you will be asked to go over your statement about the incident.

During the investigation, the prosecutor may take you to the crime scene. This is to examine the forensic evidence found at the crime scene.

The Public Prosecutor issues an arrest warrant to arrest the suspect and appoints one or more investigators to carry out further investigations. DNA analysis makes it possible to identify the perpetrator’s identity in many crimes, particularly rape, by examining the genetic print derived from the perpetrator. However, you are expected to go in front of the Prosecutor to identify the perpetrator. Once identified, the suspect will be put in custody, and then sent to court.

If you are no longer in the country, the courts can ask further questions through the UK police or ask that you come back to attend a session of the trial. The Egyptian authorities do not arrange or pay for travel or accommodation.

There is no way to testify from the UK. There are no video conferencing facilities or other forms of remote access. It is rare however for a victim to be called back to court to provide evidence.

All requests for updates must be directed to the court. You will not be updated automatically by the Egyptian Authorities about your case. You will need to either request information in person or enlist the help of a lawyer, who will be able to keep you updated on your case and explain your rights and the legal procedures. You will need to appoint and pay for the lawyer.

If you change your mind about pressing charges or you are not sure if you want to continue, you can retract your statement.

The defendant can press counter charges claiming false accusations. If they wait until after and are proven not guilty, it could make their case stronger.

Currently there are no Egyptian or UK government compensation schemes applicable to victims of rape and sexual assault. However the court is empowered to order the offender to pay compensation for any injuries or losses.

8. Trial procedures

Although these cases are taken seriously in Egypt, the Egyptian judicial procedures can be lengthy and drawn out especially if your assailant is not immediately identifiable and/or arrested soon after the assault/rape.

The time it takes to come to trial can vary and depend on how busy the court is. On average, we would expect it to take three months from when the prosecutor informs you that a trial will go ahead but there is no set time and could take longer.

The trial will be conducted in Arabic and your lawyer is expected to be present. The trial usually includes the judge, the prosecutor, the perpetrator and the victim, however the victim does not always need to be present and your lawyer can follow the case on your behalf. The judge presides the trial.

The length of the trial will vary depending on how much evidence is available and how complex the case is. The average length of a trial is around six months.

Once a verdict is reached, it can take up to 30 days for the sentence to be passed. If you are not present, your lawyer, who should be following your case, will notify you of the verdict.

9. Hiring a lawyer

A private appointed lawyer will represent your interests before the court. The lawyer will be able to access the pre-trial information held by the court including the statements provided by the defendant.

If you instruct an English-speaking private lawyer, you will be informed in English about the progress of the investigation and court proceedings.

The Egyptian judicial system does not provide state appointed lawyers for victims of crimes at court because the prosecutor is representing the victim. If the perpetrator does not have a lawyer, the court will appoint him one.

If you do not hire a lawyer, you will not have legal representation. See our list of lawyers.

The Egyptian Authorities do not automatically update victims of a crime about their case. You will need to either request in person but this can prove difficult unless you are able to speak Arabic, or enlist the services of a lawyer.

10. Legal aid

Legal aid is not available in Egypt. The British Embassy cannot provide financial assistance to help pay for legal advice or representation.

11. Sentencing

Sexual offences are generally punishable with a prison sentence.

Penalties for sexual harassment range from imprisonment for a period varying between 6 months to 5 years and a fine that can reach 50,000 Egyptian pounds.

In cases of indecent assault by force, the penalty is imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, to be increased as per the nature of the case.

Rape is a crime and the penalty for this crime is life imprisonment or the death penalty depending on the nature of the case. For example, if the victim is under 18 years of age or if the perpetrator is one of her guardians/relatives or if the rape is committed by two or more individuals.

The legal definition of the crime in Egypt may differ from UK definition. If the alleged perpetrator is found not guilty, they are released and there is no criminal responsibility.

Depending on the investigation, other provisional measures may be applied. Your lawyer can request a restraining order and the judge will decide if this is appropriate to implement.

12. Compensation

There is no state-funded compensation scheme in Egypt. For further information, check with your lawyer.

13. Returning to the UK

On return to the UK, you may want to let your GP, or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice.

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you, even if previously tested in Egypt. It is worth noting that the Egyptian police will not inform the UK police of the crime.

For more information about the support available in the UK, please visit the GOV.UK website.

14. When you return home to the UK

You may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) know what has happened to you so that you can talk about your experience and seek further support and advice where you live.

England	NHS Choices website, or search the internet for ‘NHS SARC’
Scotland	Archway SARC: phone 0141 211 8175
Wales	New Pathways SARC: phone 01685 379 310
Wales	Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre - Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Wales	Ynys Saff Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
Northern Ireland	Rowan SARC Northern Ireland: phone 0800 389 4424

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually-transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you, even if you have been tested in the country that the assault took place in.

It is your choice to let people know. If you are ready to talk about it, these organisations may be able to help you.

15. Support organisations

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and our embassies work very closely with the Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre.

Glasgow and Clyde

The Rape Crisis Centre has a range of services for women and girls who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse. They work with young women from aged 13 years. Free phone: 08088 00 00 14

Nexus Northern Ireland

Nexus NI offers counselling to survivors of sexual trauma. Tel: 0289 032 6803

The Survivors Trust

The Survivors Trust is the largest umbrella agency for specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the UK. They work with victims and survivors of all forms of sexual violence. Free helpline: 08088010818

Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid is available 24/7 on helpline@womensaid.org.uk.

Victim Support

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. Their purpose is to provide specialist help to support people to cope and recover and to empower them to ensure their voices are heard. Tel: 0808 168 9111.

Lifecentre

Lifecentre is a charity offering support to people of all ages, genders and backgrounds who have had an unwanted sexual experience. Helpline: 0808 802 0808.

Mankind Initiative

For male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence. Tel: 01823 334244.

Survivors UK

For male rape and sexual abuse. Tel: 02035983898.

Disclaimer

This information is provided by the British Government for the convenience of enquirers, but neither His Majesty’s Government nor any official of the Consulate accept liability for any loss or damage, which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or legal advice.