MPs seek harsher penalties for street cat-calling and online harassment

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Lewd messages and cat-calling in the street may carry stiffer jail terms under a bill before Parliament that widens the offence of indecency.

The measure, lodged by a group of MPs, doubles penalties when a woman is involved and, for the first time, covers harassment sent through WhatsApp and other online apps.

A rewrite of Articles 350 and 351 of the 1976 Penal Code sets a ceiling of one year in prison or a fine of up to BD1,000 for public indecency; the limit doubles if the victim is female, even when the act takes place in private.

Backers say smartphones and social media have made it easier to spread indecent behaviour, and that sharper sentences are needed to deter it.

Moral values

They cite Article 5 of the Constitution, which places the family at the core of society and charges the State with guarding moral values, along with Article 20, which bars punishment unless it is set by law.

Similar moves have already been adopted in the United Arab Emirates, where a 2022 law imposes strict penalties for the same offence.

The bill has been filed under Articles 92 and 93 of parliamentary rules and now goes to the relevant committee before any vote in the chamber.