Raping girls who wear revealing dress is a patriotic duty, says Egyptian lawyer

Cairo: An Egyptian lawyer has sparked a public outrage for saying raping skimpily-dressed girls is a “national duty”.

Nabih al-Wahsh reportedly made the controversial remark during a television debate on a draft prostitution law.

"Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?" The Independent quoted him as saying earlier this month.

“I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her,” he was quoted as saying.

The incendiary comments have prompted a national fury with the country's National Council for Women planning to file a complaint against the channel.

It also asked the media outlets to stop giving platforms to individuals who incite violence against women.

“All the members of the council denounce and decry this statement that explicitly promotes rape and sexual harassment,” it said in a statement.

Citing a 2008 study, the report said that 83 percent of Egyptian women suffered sexual harassment.