Raping women wearing ripped jeans is 'national duty,' says Egyptian lawyer on TV

Nabih al-Wahsh's comments came during a panel discussion over a draft law on tackling prostitution that was broadcast on Al Assema satellite channel on October 19.

He especially called for the sexual assault of women who wore ripped jeans – especially ones with slashes at the thigh and back.

"Would you accept a girl walking in the street revealing half of her thigh? A girl walking like this – harassing her is a patriotic duty and raping her is a national duty," Wahsh said.

His comments sparked a flurry of opposition and outrage from the women on the panel.

The National Council for Women Rights [NCWR] condemned Wahsh's remarks, adding that they were in violation with the Egyptian constitution. 

Said Maya Mursi, head of the NCWR, expressed her surprise that such statements were made by a lawyer, who works for defending rights and freedoms.

The NCWR confirmed in a statement posted on Facebook that a complaint to the prosecutor-general against Wahsh has been filed.

The women's rights group also lodged a complaint to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, urging media outlets to refrain from hosting controversial figures who will use their position to incite violence against women.

"[My own] daughter would also deserve that [rape, sexual harassment] if she decided to wear jeans that are ripped from the back," Daily News Egypt reported him as saying.

Despite sparking outrage, Wahsh maintained his position in a statement issued to Al-Watan news site.

Wahsh's comments come just weeks after Egyptian capital Cairo was named as the world’s most dangerous city for women, according to a poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A 2008 study by the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights found that at least 83 percent of women in Egypt said they had been sexually harassed.

According to the same study, around 62 percent of men admitted to harassing women.