JEDDAH: Women in the Kingdom on a daily basis experience harassment on roads, and in malls and public places. As there is no law against men pestering women, some youngsters have launched a campaign, entitled “If she were your sister,” to combat the problem.
The campaign was started by a group of young men and women a couple of weeks ago with the launch of a Facebook group.
“We want men and women alike to understand its negativity and vulgarity,” said one of the campaign’s founders, Hashem Daghestani, 21.
Harassment often takes place on the Kingdom’s roads where men often try to get the attention of women seated in cars. The harassment also involves tailing their cars, waving phone numbers through eye-catching tactics, or mumbling words to gain attention in shopping malls.
“‘Ya mozza,’ which is Egyptian slang for ‘beautiful girl,’ is one of the most common words young men say to girls in public,” said Sara Al-Ahmadi, 19.
Al-Ahmadi went on to describe how men desperately wave their mobile phones at young women to tell them to accept their numbers via Bluetooth.
Dealing with harassment (known in Arabic as “mu’akasat”), the campaign aims to highlight the negative impact it has on society, and its causes and possible solutions. The word “mu’akasat” describes the various ways that men approach the opposite sex.
There is no exact English expression that accurately defines the concept. While it could be considered “harassment and pestering,” it can also be described as “flirtation” or “causing annoyance.”
The group has, so far, managed to get 3,430 members since its launch. “Advertising and running surveys on schools and universities are our next big step,” said Daghestani.
He said the campaign will go through three stages. The first is a general survey. “We will hand out questionnaires to both genders. We will ask them their opinions about harassing women in public places and how to end it,” Daghestani said.
The second stage will involve raising awareness through the media, seminars and Friday sermons.
The final stage will involve taking an act and making a decision. “We are aiming for a governmental decision. Basically, a law punishing whoever harasses a woman publicly,” said Daghestani, adding that the cooperation of wider society is essential. “Working hand in hand makes a difference,” he said.
Huda Yaseen, 46, a mother of three and a social science instructor, said harassment is common everywhere. “We know it’s a negative phenomenon ... but we have to bear in mind that pursuing women in public will not end easily,” she added.
“It’s everywhere,” she said, explaining how mothers should speak to their teenage sons and daughters, and ask how would they feel if it happened to someone they are close to.
