Egypt’s parliament gave final approval Tuesday to a bill seeking to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure by adding an article providing for the protection of sexual harassment and assault victims’ identities during legal procedures.

The provision is aimed at encouraging women to report such crimes without fear of identification resulting in retribution or pressure to withdraw complaints. The article would bar investigating authorities from disclosing victims’ information to anyone, with the exception of defendants or their lawyers. This right is provided in relation to crimes of indecent assault, corruption of morals, exposure to others and harassment. Reda el-Danbouki, executive director of the Women’s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, said that anyone identifying a victim would face up to six months’ imprisonment.

The law was drafted in July after the arrest of a suspected sex offender. Several women in this case had been unwilling to reach the police until they were assured that their identities would remain confidential. This case, followed by numerous accounts of sexual violence shared by women on social media, led to a public debate, eventually pressuring the government to act.

“When we observed that there is a reluctance to report specific crimes … and that some of the victims feared for their reputation from being named in such crimes, the government submitted a bill to encourage citizens to report these crimes,” Minister of Justice Omar Marwan told the parliament on Sunday.

The bill now needs approval by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to come into effect.