Lawyers here have called on the government to set up special courts to deal with sexual harassment cases.

Hmoud Al-Khaldi, a lawyer, said this week that these courts would consider cases in secret and under special rules.

He also called for new laws on sexual harassment. "It is the responsibility of many parties, such as the Ministries of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Interior, to address these cases," he said. These parties should have awareness campaigns on the dangers of such behavior, he said.

Another lawyer, Majed Qaroun, said assault, abuse and sexual harassment take place everywhere. He said Islam has criminalized verbal and physical abuse.

"Handling harassment depends on the implementation of the law, not just enacting such laws." He said there was a tendency by victims and their families not to report abuse. "Some families prefer to keep the matter in the dark," he said.

Qaroun said courts are hearing less than one percent of harassment cases. He said that perpetrators often resort to "collective behavior" as was the case recently when a group of young men harassed five women at a mall in Dhahran. He urged the women to file complaints.