Journalist denounces that hotel in Egypt denied her access for not being accompanied by man

Cairo, Apr 14 (EFE).- (Camera: Pablo Pérez/Aya Ragheb) Cairo journalist Sarah Shalaby travelled to the Qena province for work, some 600 kilometres south of Cairo, but when she looked for a hotel to spend the night she had a recurring problem in Egypt: to reserve a room she was required to be accompanied by a male relative.

"I am of legal age, I was working as a journalist and I showed them my journalists' union card," laments the 31-year-old woman, who had no choice but to take the first train back to Cairo that night so as not to sleep on the street.

Although no law requires that a woman must be accompanied by a man to be able to stay in a hotel, this situation is repeated regularly in different parts of Egypt, mainly in low-class hotels.

FOOTAGE OF WOMEN, HOTELS, TAHRIR SQUARE, TAHRIR BRIDGE WITH HOTELS IN THE BACKGROUND, AND THE ENTRANCE TO RAMSES TRAIN STATION, CAIRO, EGYPT.

SOUNDBITES OF LAWYER HANY SAMEH; AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE EGYPTIAN CENTER FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, NEHAD ABUL KOMSAN.

Translations:

Hany Sameh:

1.- "Unfortunately some hotels continue to refuse to accommodate women who travel alone. They even admit it on international online reservation pages in a very offensive way for women."



Nehad Abul Komsan:

1.- "If a woman or girl faces a situation in which she does not feel comfortable or feels that she is discriminated against for being a woman, she should file a complaint with the tourist police."