Girl, 15, facing murder charge after stabbing bus driver who tried to rape her in Egypt
A girl, 15, is facing a possible murder charge after killing a man who allegedly tried to rape her (..
Campaigners are desperately trying to get a teenager freed after she was arrested for killing a bus driver who allegedly tried to rape her.
The girl, 15, could be tried for murder after she confessed to police she stabbed the man near Cairo, in Egypt, in July.
The teenager claimed he had kidnapped her in a deserted rural area and attempted to sexually assault her at knifepoint.
She added she tricked her alleged assailant, took away his knife, and stabbed him several times before running away.
Shortly after her arrest in July, the teenager was required to undergo a virginity test, an invasive procedure that rights groups say in itself amounts to sexual assault.
The test is a routine procedure whenever a woman reports an alleged rape.
The teenager told police she was on a date with her boyfriend before riding the bus, which could work against her because dating prior to marriage is frowned upon.
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Her boyfriend and his friend are both in custody pending investigations into any potential links to the crime.
The girls case has now reignited the debate over the treatment of women in Egypts legal system, including the practice of virginity tests and blaming victims of sexual violence.
Intissar Saeed, president of the Cairo Foundation for Law and Development, said: This case reveals the dualism in Egyptian society.
She added: I myself have sympathized with her since day one. But when I wrote about her on my Facebook page some male lawyers attacked the girl on my page saying she was not a decent woman.