Egypt: Public Outrage After Kindergarten Students Assaulted at International School
Edited By: Laila Abou Rabie
Egypt has witnessed a surge of public anger in recent days following revelations of sexual assault involving several kindergarten students at an international school in Obour City, in the greater Cairo area. The case first came to light when a young girl told her mother that a maintenance worker at the school had approached two of her classmates in areas not visible to teachers. After the mother contacted another parent, she learned that the second child had previously complained of a similar incident on school grounds.
As additional information emerged, the scale of the case grew. Local sources reported that six children were assaulted by school employees, including cleaning staff, an electrician, and a security guard. According to the same accounts, one of the suspects allegedly lured the children to a secluded area behind the school’s playground that was not covered by surveillance cameras. The families filed an official complaint, prompting the Public Prosecution to open an investigation, arrest the suspects, and place them in pretrial detention.
The school administration issued a statement affirming its commitment to transparency and cooperation with the authorities, adding that it stood in solidarity with the parents and had assigned its legal adviser to follow the proceedings. The revelations triggered widespread outrage on social media, where users questioned how children as young as five or six could be subjected to such acts in a place expected to guarantee their safety. Many described the incident as a grave scandal within institutions marketed as “international schools” and called for severe penalties against those responsible. Critics also accused the administration of negligence, noting that one suspect had reportedly been investigated for a similar incident in the past but was allowed to continue working.
Following intense public pressure, the Egyptian Ministry of Education announced that the minister had placed the school under full financial and administrative supervision of the ministry, which will now manage it directly. The ministry added that all officials found to have engaged in negligence or concealment had been referred to legal affairs. A ministerial directive was also issued requiring private and international schools to strengthen safety protocols, including upgrading surveillance cameras to ensure full coverage of all areas and classrooms, assigning multiple staff members to monitor camera feeds throughout the school day, and implementing regular drug testing for all employees—teachers, administrators, supervisors, drivers and service workers—as well as for any new staff prior to employment, with proof of compliance required for licensing or renewal.
