JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is planning to impose tougher punishments to prevent harassment of women in work places. A new law calling for a maximum fine of SR100,000 and three years jail will be passed soon by the Shoura Council.
A special committee of the 150-member council is discussing the draft law and will present it to the full assembly after Eid Al-Adha. The bill set a minimum fine of SR20,000 and six months in jail for the offense, said Mazen Balilah, the Shoura member who proposed the law.
Balilah said the head of the company or organization would be questioned if there were any negligence on his part in preventing harassment in his organization. According to Article One, the accuser should produce evidence to support the charges and the accused will have the right to defend himself by all means.
The draft law explicitly states that sexual harassment does not mean only physical contact, but may also take place over the phone or through physical gestures or speech even if no physical contact occurs.
Actions that may constitute sexual harassment include hanging lewd pictures and provocative comments. The law states that any attempts to set up out-of-office meetings or offers of rides can also be considered harassment.
Using managerial power to require women employees to stay longer at the office under the pretext of requiring them to work overtime will also be considered a sexual harassment crime. “Most harassment cases go unpunished because of women’s unwillingness to report them,” Balilah told Al-Madinah daily.
The committee proposed that the jail sentence for the offense should be not less than one year and not more than three years. Article Three urges heads of government departments and directors of government institutions and private companies to create an atmosphere for preventing harassment and to set out strict internal laws for the purpose.
Talal Bakri, chairman of the Shoura committee for social, family and youth affairs, said the law is aimed at creating a clean atmosphere in places of work. He urged women to dress modestly to avoid provocations.
