MAKKAH, 11 April 2008 — Women looking for cheap transport often use private cars moonlighting as taxis. Although these vehicles are economical, they are also very risky. Drivers are known to sexually harass women, at times even raping them.
Recently, a woman — sexually harassed by a driver — panicked and jumped out of a moving car, only to fall and die. In another case, a woman in her 40s climbed into a private car to pick her daughter up from school. The driver kidnapped the woman with the help of a second man. They then beat her, raped her, took pictures and then left her in a street.
Such cases are on the rise here with some drivers taking advantage of their women employers.
A young hairdresser asked her driver to take her to a wedding party one night. On the way to the party, two men stopped the vehicle and raped the woman, who then reported the case to the police. It later transpired that the driver had arranged the rape with the two men.
In another case, a woman, sexually harassed by a driver, jumped out of the moving car and sustained serious injuries. The woman was taken to hospital and the driver was arrested.
Col. Ahmad ibn Nashy Al-Otaiby, head of Makkah Traffic Department, said using private cars is illegal. “If a Saudi man is caught moonlighting, his car would be confiscated for seven to 10 days and he would be fined SR300. If he repeats the offense, then the penalty would be doubled,” he said. “Expatriates, on the other hand, would be fined SR300 and deported.”
Col. Yusuf Al-Qahtani, spokesman for police in the Eastern Province, said that women are not supposed to ride in cars without male guardians.
“They should in the least be accompanied by another woman. If the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice sees a woman in a private car with an unrelated driver, they would arrest her for being in a state of seclusion (khalwa),” he said.
“Only elderly women are allowed to ride in private cars without male guardians, or without the company of another woman. We get a lot of reports about private car drivers sexually harassing women,” he said.
Maj. Abdul Muhsin Al-Maiman, spokesman for Makkah police, said that private cars are only allowed for private use by registered owners. “They cannot be used for commercial purposes. Yet, some people use private cars as a way to make money on the side. Other people use these cars to entrap women,” he added.
“Women are known to jump out of moving cars when they suspect the driver of having ill-intentions. We’ve received so many reports of this,” he said.
Sheikh Ahmad ibn Kasem, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Makkah, said, “We monitor all illegal activities on the roads. We monitor drivers and passengers. We also keep a lookout for women, who stand on roadsides and refuse taxis, and then climb into private cars.”
“Sometimes, women don’t have bad intentions. They just get entrapped by drivers who offer cheaper rides and have something else in mind,” he said.
He further urged women not to ride in private cars.
“Woman should be careful and think before climbing into a private car,” he said.
