TikTok star sentenced to 10 years in prison over “human trafficking”

In one video, Hossam told her followers that girls could earn money by working, which led her to be charged with "human trafficking"

A 19 year-old TikTok star has been given a ten-year prison sentence for "human trafficking" and "debauchery" in Cairo. Haneen Hossam told her followers that women could earn money through Likee, a video sharing platform. This statement led her to be accused of "human trafficking". She was charged, alongside 23-year-old Mowada al-Adham, for "corrupting family values, inciting debauchery and encouraging young women to practice sexual relations". Prosecutors described Mowada's videos - which feature her dancing to popular songs - as "indecent". Al-Adham received a six year-jail sentence. Hossam's jail time was extended as she did not appear in court. Three men who were convicted of assisting the women were given six-year jail terms as well. Previously, the women had been sentenced to jail for two years for "attacking society's values" through their TikTok videos. They ended up serving less than half their sentences after being acquitted. Earlier this week, Hossam reacted to her sentencing in an emotional video on Instagram. "Ten years!" she said. "I didn't do anything immoral to deserve all this. I was jailed for ten months and didn't say a word after I was released. Why do you want to jail me again?" The teenager's legal representatives have said that she will appeal the sentence. They stated that there were contradictions in the ruling. Ms Hossam and Ms al-Adham are among numerous Egyptian women who have been accused of "inciting debauchery". Several human rights experts maintain that Egypt's use of censorship has grown since the election of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. As more and more young Egyptians use social media, monitoring has increased. Since 2018, a law was put in place that allowed officials to monitor all social media accounts with more than 5,000 followers.