Through the narrow lanes and mazes of Al-Otaibiya markets in Makkah, and among the never-ending crowds of people and shoppers roaming the place, many Saudi women, mostly widows, have chosen to work in the trading business to improve living conditions for them and for their families, a local publication reported.

The market is dotted with stalls selling different consumer products. The stalls are owned by women who inherited the business that is operation for over 40 years with many shoppers preferring to buy from them.

Nonetheless, these saleswomen who have been facing difficulties in the business have appealed to authorities to allocate organized and regulated stalls for them so they can do business with ease and comfort.

“It’s most likely that I’ll not do this business or see my stall again,” said Umm Ali Al-Sayyari who is being treated at a hospital. “There is a woman waiting to take my place once I give up,” she said, referring to a principle prevailing in the market with which many women with market experience are familiar with; many other women want to go into the business and are awaiting their turn to occupy any vacant place.

Another woman, Umm Majed, said she is in the business since 27 years. “I have 7 children whom I raised without help from anyone and my only source of income was this stall. We need to do our business feeling safe and secure. This is why we urged the authorities to provide adequate shops for us to avoid being robbed and protect us from bad weather conditions in times of rain or dust,” she added.

Three years ago, 15 women working in the stalls urged the authorities to provide decent stalls for them at nominal rents. “We are still awaiting the decision in this regard,” she added.

Umm Faisal agrees with her saying that all women in this business have appealed to the Makkah Governorate to find a workable solution for them.

A number of expatriate women have already started to acquire a number of stalls in the market, with some of them even pretending to be Saudi citizens, Umm Faisal noted.

“We appeal to authorities to strictly monitor the market and detect the violators,” she said, adding that her daughter also works in the market after she acquired her own place, which she got from an old woman who gave up her place in the market.

Osama Zaituni, spokesman for the secretariat of the holy city, said there is no executive body in charge of the stall business.

“The whole business is in line with the directions of the Ministry of Social Affairs to open women’s shops. The role of the secretariat is to provide an adequate location for them,” he explained. He said the so-called market stalls are considered public places and so unauthorized from work point of view.

“As for expatriate women working in the market, the passports department is the competent body to follow up the matter,” he added.

Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs, said providing shops for productive families comes within the project of the ministry to support such endeavors and open shops for women to earn their living decently in accordance with the regulatory procedures.