JEDDAH: Police in Al-Ahsa recently arrested a man in his 20s who blackmailed a 24-year-old woman into giving him SR250,000. The man threatened to publicize photographs of the woman.
On arrest, police found SR20,000 in his possession and found that the woman had also bought him expensive watches and aftershave that cost a total of more than SR50,000, according to Al-Watan newspaper.
Incidence of men blackmailing women by threatening to publicize their photographs is not all too uncommon in Saudi Arabia. Arab News reported on Monday a case involving a 20-year-old man who blackmailed an 18-year-old girl in Makkah by threatening to publish her photographs on the Internet. The girl sold her jewelry and paid the man SR5,000.
A few months later he demanded SR3,000 from her and that she goes out with him. The man was, however, arrested, after the teenager and her elder sister complained to members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Likewise, a woman in Tabuk remained in constant turmoil for five years at the hands of a worker who threatened to publicize her photographs. In Riyadh, a woman handed a man SR800,000 over 14 years before seeking the commission’s help. All these cases were documented in the last six months.
Relations with the opposite gender prior to marriage are something frowned upon in the Kingdom. Exchanging photographs or love letters with a boyfriend might cause immense problems to a woman if her family, fiancé or husband were to find out. As a result, some men take advantage and blackmail women into giving them cash or forcing them to have sex.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah previously called for the setting up of a committee comprising several governmental bodies to come up with solutions to the problem.
“The committee studying the issue has advised dealing with the problem in three ways,” said Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in the Makkah region, adding that his field workers solved 40 such cases in Makkah this year alone.
“The first way consists of taking preventive action prior to a incident by increasing awareness among the public and building trust. The second stage is concerned with urging governmental bodies to deal with such cases sensitively to encourage women to come forward,” he added.
“The final stage is concerned with the psychological and social effects of such occurrences. This requires the help of psychology specialists,” he said, adding that the cooperation of governmental bodies concerned with social and family issues is crucial in ensuring the success of the scheme.
“Some women become victims because of the abuse they face at home or because of poverty. There is a need for safe shelters where victims can be helped,” he said.
The commission head added that recommendations include the setting up of a hotline for victims. He added that the majority of blackmail victims are women, followed by minors and then young men.
