It is not fair to hold men only responsible for harassment, as some women dress and act in ways that encourage men to harass them, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper. Harassment exists in every society and they deal with it differently according to their laws. Some deal with it in a very deterrent and strict manner to prevent its repetition or spread. However, some societies simply deal with it as a problem that requires the attention of families to educate their children of this wrongful behavior. Some resort to videoing harassments in the hope that the offenders will be detained later. However, this is not a convincing solution to the problem. Many Saudis have asked for legislation to deal with the harassment problem, and to enact clear punishment for offenders, whether they are men or women. Some have also asked to learn from other people’s experiences in dealing with harassment, while others have called for improved security in shopping malls to properly deal the problem. Two most important factors to consider in this issue are education and awareness. Today’s generation should be aware of the dangers of such behavior, and families should be responsible for their children’s behavior while using technology and the Internet. Citizens spoke of their views of harassment and the proper ways to deal with it. One Saudi woman, Wujdan, said preventing harassment is the responsibility of both men and women. She said men should not annoy women in public places, and women should not dress in a way that would encourage men to harass them and also try to avoid places where men are present. Another said she believes that harassment cases increase due to the lack of a deterrent law. The problem has greatly increased lately and may point to a fault in the raising of children within their families. Ablah Al-Mowais said that many countries have deterrent laws against harassment and questioned how such men would behave if they were in other countries. “In some other countries, men would not dare to harass women, despite women there dressing in revealing clothes and wearing full makeup. Some of these countries’ laws call for life sentences for offenders and our laws should be derived from Islamic teachings,” she said. Najla’a believes that the problem lies with the lack of strong private security in shopping malls. Existing private security personnel are not properly qualified, and furthermore, some of them may be the cause of harassment. She works in a women-only shop and she denounces many incidents that she has witnessed. Ashwaq Al-Haddadi blamed both men and women for harassment incidents. She said that men should not pay attention to what women wear or how they behave. She advised women to refrain from encouraging men and not interact with them in streets or shopping malls and commit to the society’s norms and values. Rasha asked for a deterrent law that would have harassers think twice before resorting to such behavior. She criticized the person who videoed the recent harassment incident in a shopping mall in Dhahran, claiming he had defamed those women. She believes that admitting that a problem exists is part of the solution. Suhail Al-Harthy, a Saudi man who works as a private security guard at a shopping mall, said that harassments have increased lately, especially during peak hours. He deals with such incidents daily and tries to solve them amicably, but refers to security bodies whenever necessary. In many cases, women refuse the intervention of security authorities to avoid media spotlight. Mohammad Ashour, a private security guard, concurs, and adds that he can work out the intentions of some men visiting shopping malls from their appearance. Abdullah Al-Dawsary said that guardians are the main reason for the increase of harassment, as they send their families to shopping malls without a companion. Guardians are also responsible for the proper raising of their children, especially since an influx of technological means that allow children to access inappropriate sites and different societies. He also stressed that men should be provided with suitable recreational areas and means. Mohammad Baleid, a supervisor at a shopping mall in the Eastern Province, said that the shopping mall is equipped with CCTV cameras, and offenders can be easily identified. He pointed out that the mall is continuously cooperating with security bodies, and the problem lies with harassment incidents that happen in the streets. Dr. Hatoon Alfassi, professor of women’s history at King Saud University, said that it is important to enact laws to protect everyone from harassment. She added that society views harassment as a physical crime and neglects its other consequences, such as its psychological effects. She stressed that there should be an agreement on the meaning of harassment and said the Holy Qur’an contains all the necessary principles to deal with it.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 08:53:04 +0000
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