“Shabab (young men) on the streets are getting bolder and it is unsafe for women to take cabs or even be alone in a car without the fear of being followed or harassed,” 22-year-old Zainab told Arab News.

“I was once followed from work on Tahlia Street all the way to my house on Palestine Street. This young man was following me in his car and then chased me upstairs to my apartment.”

She added that luckily her brother, who was home, chased away the stalker with a kitchen knife.

“I was appalled and in a state of shock. For weeks I could not travel alone. I still lose sleep wondering what would have happened that night if my brother was not home,” Zainab said.

The general consensus among Saudi girls is that young men are getting out of control in their bid to chat up with women, as their chances are far and few between.

“Not all girls are the same. Some girls crave attention but the modest ones want their privacy and do not want to be disturbed by hooligan behavior while out with their friends. It seems we have to be with a male companion to send a warning to other men to keep their distance,” said Fatimah, 26.

“Why is it so hard for women to have a good time without being harassed? Maybe boys should attend a school for gentlemanly conduct so they do not grow up to be apes in society. At least not act like them whenever they see a girl.”

It is a familiar sight to see groups of young men driving around popular malls or on Tahlia Street in their swanky cars and motorcycles where women tend to gather and shop.

“I was once followed around the mall persistently by this man. After a while I gave up, just took his number that he had scribbled on a piece of paper and dumped it in the bin as soon as he left,” 23-year-old Malaika told Arab News.

“Unfortunately he saw me throw it away and went ballistic. He started cursing me in public and was getting physically violent until security guards took him away.”

When asked about what triggers this behavior, she said: “No exposure is the root cause of this evil. Ignorance prevails because they are so deprived. They have no sense of etiquette when dealing with women.”

“Guys are deprived because everything is so constrained. It is degrading not to be able to walk into a mall without a woman. Some guys who have had minimal experience, education or lack exposure lose themselves when in contact with a beautiful girl,” 25-year-old Faisal told Arab News.

“It is a favorite pastime where no one gets hurt, to follow a girl for the thrill of it. Some girls respond and give out their numbers easily. When they do not respond, men, being egoistical beings, take it as a challenge. Hence they go to extreme measures to mingle. There is not much here to do anyway unlike Dubai or Bahrain. We have limited leisure activities.”

All restaurants and cafés in the Kingdom are segregated into singles and family sections. There are stringent rules barring contact between single men and women. Single men are not allowed into most malls in the city on weekends unless accompanied by a wife or family.

“I think the only chance men get to interact is on the roads. I was in a cab with three girls going toward the east of Jeddah from Souk Shatea. By the time we were on Tahlia, there were two Hummers on each side of the cab. Two other cars blocked us from the back and front,” recalls Alisha, 24. “We were blocked in the middle of jam-packed traffic. None of us thought we would get home that night. Every one of us was hysterical and in tears praying for our safety. The guys got close enough to knock on our windows and the cab driver reached for the central locking to secure us.”

Alisha said they managed to lose the men half an hour later in the heavy traffic, but has been putting off getting into a cab in future.

“The law has a moral duty to protect its citizens. Otherwise we would not have a judicial system. These men should be punished for toying with our dignity and subjecting us to mental turmoil,” she added.

Most women, when asked about the dangers men’s antics pose, questioned the lack of a law protecting them against such intimidation.

Women also felt there should be a helpline and more security provided outside malls or on popular streets to ensure the safety of women.

“It is providing a fear-free society where the common man or woman is not afraid to walk down the road without being exposed to harassment or men imposing themselves on you,” Zainab said.

“Men do not realize the trauma triggered by these games or assaults on young female minds,” A 44-year-old mother, who wished to remain anonymous, told Arab News.

“I am always worried about the safety of my daughters who sometimes have to use a taxi if the driver is unavailable. Walking is just another dodgy affair. Sometimes men follow them or scream out their numbers to my daughters. Some boys may be having fun, but the consequences are vast. I do not know what the law is waiting for. Until something shamefully big happens, the authorities will not take this seriously. It is better to be safe than sorry.”