My wife and I are both 55 year old tourists and I am filing this report on behalf of my wife. Please note we are frequent visitors to Egypt and well experienced with the culture and customs of the Middle East.

On Tuesday 23rd October my wife and I were walking from Luxor Temple going towards Television St on Salah El-Deen St (behind the Winter Palace Hotel). Two youths about 15 years old approached us. One muttered something about 'smokes' in English. We both don't smoke and I told the boys this and asked them to leave us alone and stop hassling us. They disappeared behind us and we thought they had went away.

Then a bike went by us at speed with the two youths on it and the one on the rear grabbed my wife's behind. I tried to chase them but it was too hot and they were going too fast. If I would have got them I would most probably end up getting arrested as I was so angry.

I contacted Luxor Governate's Facebook page to complain but had no response.

I have no doubt that the phenomena of sexual harassment in Egypt is a complex issue - but I believe that examples have to be made of the perpetrators by the authorities. It is simply not acceptable anywhere, at any time. One factor may be that because the apparent 'mob' mentality/peer pressure of men, they all mistakenly believe that because someone else in the group does it, then this becomes the 'acceptable' norm.

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