What makes the problem alarming is that the number of such cases have increased lately, preventing parents from sending their children to stores alone, even if they are located nearby.

In a recent report highlighting the problem, Al-Riyadh newspaper cited a number of cases where young children faced harassment by storekeepers in their neighborhood.

A Saudi man reported an Asian store worker to authorities after he sexually harassed his nine-year-old daughter when she went to the store alone to buy some candy. The girl reported the incident to her father, who then alerted police. At first the worker denied the allegation but he later confessed. He was punished and then deported.

A similar report involved a barber who sexually harassed a 14-year-old boy in Jeddah. The barber, instead of cutting his hair, started touching the boy’s private parts. The boy ran out of the store and notified a police unit passing by in the neighborhood. The barber was arrested and sent to jail.

Another incident involved a 12-year-old boy who was harassed in a restaurant by a foreign worker. The boy, instead of reporting the incident to his father, told his older brother.

The brother gathered his friends in the neighborhood and beat up the worker so badly before reporting the incident to police.

Mansour Al-Jadaani, a sociologist, said that the family plays an important role in preventing sexual harassment. He said families should not allow their kids to roam alone.

“Families should teach their children how to report sexual harassment to their parents. Children and youngsters should be educated in schools about different forms of sexual harassment and how to resist such attempts,” added Al-Jadaani.

Nihal Al-Khateeb, psychiatrist, said sexual harassment leaves deep wounds in its victims, especially children. It could leave them with scars for the rest of their lives and manifest in aggressive behavior.

In some cases, victims commit suicide to escape from the pain.

“Families should open a channel of communication with their children. They should specify a special time every week to sit with their children and talk about issues related to them. They should also instruct their children not to talk to strangers. In case they are exposed to such harassment, parents should stand by their children and help restore confidence in themselves,” said Al-Khateeb.